


The Paths We Take

by SlytherinGoddess214



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, History - Fandom
Genre: Ancient History, Angst, F/M, Hogwarts Eighth Year, Multi-Era, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-20
Updated: 2020-05-30
Packaged: 2020-12-24 13:07:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 29
Words: 329,209
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21099959
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SlytherinGoddess214/pseuds/SlytherinGoddess214
Summary: When a simple bet during a year end field trip to a muggle museum goes terribly wrong, four students find themselves unwillingly thrown through time by an ancient amulet. Can they work together long enough to survive the multiple time periods, or will they fall victim to the horrors of the past and remain there...forever? A Dramione/Blinny multi-era time travel story.





	1. Bitter Escape

**Author's Note:**

> STRONG CONTENT WARNING: This story is for mature readers only! This warning is so you as readers, understand that this story will follow historical facts as best as possible including various concepts such as racism, classism, sexism, and strong language, but it is necessary for the time periods. Mature content will also be written including sex, attempted rape, violence, death, and more. I am not responsible if anyone not of age reads this story or is offended in any way. THIS IS THE ONLY WARNING THAT WILL BE GIVEN IN THIS STORY. It will also be a SLOW BURN historical love story, so bear with me please. I do not own anything related to Harry Potter. That right stays strictly with JK Rowling. *UPDATED EVERY SUNDAY EST*

_"We as humans have come to define significance as thinking we are special. But if you look into the universe, we are nothing more than space dust. We all have the same ingredients made by an exploding red giant. We are special...because we are all the same."___

_ _-Based off a saying by Neil DeGrasse Tyson_ _

_ _Chapter 1- Bitter Escape_ _

_ _Wednesday May 5th, 1999_ _

_ _"Alright everyone, listen up" Headmistress Minerva McGonagall began as she stood at the podium in the front of the Great Hall to address the seventh and returning eighth-years laughing throughout the room. "Today is a very rare occurrence but one that I feel will impact you greatly in life" she continued when the students finally quieted down. "I know you are all excited to get out of this school for the day, but this field trip is not an excuse for you to act like a bunch of baboons._ _

_ _"This trip is to educate us all on a world of history that is not our own. Now, until the Portkey is ready, please talk among yourselves or do yourselves a favor, and study for your N.E.W.T.S coming up at the end of the month. I want to see every single one of you receive high marks when you get your results in August. Also don't forget to leave your robes in your dorms, if you haven't already, and make sure you are wearing your ties. Everyone needs to look presentable; that means no untucked shirts and no hitched-up skirts. Your school uniform shall be worn respectfully, as required and expected daily."_ _

_ _Draco Malfoy rolled his eyes as his good friend Theodore Nott whispered a joke in his ear causing him to laugh and spit out the water he had been drinking._ _

_ _"Mr. Malfoy" McGonagall sharply stated. "Please try to keep your drink in your mouth and not on the table...or you'll be cleaning the Dining Hall next week in detention!"_ _

_ _"Yes, Professor" he replied, sinking down into his seat at the Slytherin table "won't happen again."_ _

_ _"Yes Professor" Blaise Zabini, Draco's dark-skinned Italian best friend, mimicked jokingly from across the table. "Pussy."_ _

_ _"Shut-it you git" Draco snapped as he kicked his friend under the table._ _

_ _"Leave him alone" Pansy Parkinson pouted as she entangled her hands around Draco's right bicep, desperately attempting to flirt with him...again._ _

_ _But the raven-haired pug-nosed girl was not someone Draco ever wanted to be with. She wasn't even good in bed, not that he shagged many girls, but he at least knew when they were being real and when they were just trying to put on a show because they were overly conceded...and Pansy was definitely more into watching herself than pleasing him._ _

_ _"Hey Pans" Blaise cut in, knowing full well that Draco wanted nothing to do with the girl "is that a spider on your shoulder?"_ _

_ _"WHAT?" she screamed as she abruptly stood in alarm. "WHERE, WHERE IS IT?" she cried as she swatted furiously at her arms._ _

_ _"Can you believe them?" Harry Potter asked softly to the group of Gryffindor's surrounding him one table over from the Slytherin's. "They always have to cause a scene and draw attention to themselves."_ _

_ _"They're raised like that Harry, you know this" Hermione Granger, one-third of the golden trio and best friend to Harry Potter, claimed as she continued to read a thick world history book in front of her. "Just ignore them."_ _

_ _"We always 'ignore them' but they still continue to act like gits" Ron Weasley, Harry's red-headed best friend, added as he shoved his face with a leftover pastry from breakfast._ _

_ _"Well determination is one of their characteristics, Ronald" she continued, still not looking up from the book "the more you let them get to you the more determined they are to continue acting like they're better."_ _

_ _"She's right" Ginny Weasley, youngest of the Weasley family and little sister to Ron, stated as she watched her brother disgustingly gorge upon the pastry across from her. "Don't give them the satisfaction of letting them know they're getting to you, Harry" she claimed, slowly peeling her eyes away from the mess on Ron's face._ _

_ _"Yeah...I'm trying" Harry replied to his ex-girlfriend with a sigh._ _

_ _"Try harder" Neville Longbottom, longtime friend to Harry, chimed in softly. "If I can do it, so can you. I stopped paying attention to anything they do a lon-"_ _

_ _"Hey Longbottom" Blaise called out "heads up!"_ _

_ _The Gryffindor group watched as Theo pegged Neville in the back of the head with a balled-up piece of paper before the Slytherin's broke out into rambunctious laughter. Neville tucked his head down in embarrassment as Hermione picked up the piece of paper and opened it to reveal a moving drawing of Neville dancing under the sorting hat engulfed in flames._ _

_ _She quickly turned and scowled at the Slytherin's as she crumpled the picture in her hands and threw it to the floor, causing Draco's smile to slowly fade. His friends however kept on laughing and joking as something inside Draco told him they had gone too far._ _

_ _"Alright..." he ordered firmly as his gaze remained fixed on the Gryffindor Princess in front of him. "Enough."_ _

_ _"Enough?" Blaise questioned with a raised brow. "Since when did we stop messing with Longbottom?"_ _

_ _"Since it became boring" Draco snapped his sight to his Italian friend. "Move on to someone else; maybe a Ravenclaw or something" he suggested with a wave of his hand as he turned his mercurial gaze away._ _

_ _"Now that's a real challenge. I like it!" Theo claimed with a smirk as he began to look around the room for a new target._ _

_ _However, Blaise noticed that Draco's eyes had veered back to the Golden Girl who was now comforting Neville, and he strongly suspected she was the reason for the trade up. After all, Blaise was fully aware of Draco's secret feelings for the brunette since first year, he just didn't think those feelings would ever resurface. It's not like Draco ever told anyone and he sure as hell made it very clear to everyone else in the world that he hated her, but a Slytherin is only as good as the information he could obtain and Blaise Zabini was determined to find answers._ _

_ _"Forget them, Neville" Hermione urged as she turned back in her seat. "They are just having a laugh to deal with the shite we all experienced during the war. As you know, this month is the one-year anniversary and we are all a little on edge after the ceremony three days ago. Don't fault them for being daft imbeciles."_ _

_ _"Thanks, Mione" Neville claimed as he pinched in lips inward._ _

_ _"Anytime" she replied before glancing back at the table behind her, fully aware that one Slytherin Prince was watching her._ _

_ _She figured Draco was staring, wondering what he could say the next time they bantered to belittle her for standing up for her friend, however as soon as her eyes landed on him, he averted his gaze. He began talking to Theo sitting next to him, who was now pointing at random seventh-year Ravenclaws, as he pretended nothing had happened. She furrowed her brows in confusion before slowly turning back around to continue reading her book._ _

_ _"Alright, students," McGonagall announced tapping her wand on the glass goblet in her hand while talking over the noise of the room "the Portkey to take us to Liverpool is ready, and will be activated in twenty-five minutes! I suggest you all begin to pack up your things and start heading down to edge of the castle grounds just over the main bridge!"_ _

_ _The Great Hall erupted in indistinct chatter as the students began packing up their things and headed out of the school. Luna Lovegood, a quirky yet very intelligent Ravenclaw, began to skip her way up to the Gryffindor boys as they walked outside the main gates of Hogwarts. She took Neville's right hand in hers as she smiled up at him and Hermione knew that only Luna could crack the gloomy expression on her boyfriend's face._ _

_ _"They're cute together" Ginny stated as she leaned into Hermione's left shoulder and watched the couple walk ahead of them. "Makes me miss having Harry as a boyfriend" she admitted while standing up straight and sulking slightly._ _

_ _"Gin, you guys broke up for a reason. The war was just too much on all of us and we needed our space...Ron and I included. We both jumped into things too fast and it affected everything around us."_ _

_ _"I know...you're right, I was just feeling a little melancholy that's all. Do you ever plan to get back with my brother, once school's over that is?"_ _

_ _"I don't know Gin, it's complicated...Maybe?" she questioned raising her shoulders while adjusting her beaded bag on her wrist._ _

_ _"Are you asking me or telling me?" Ginny giggled as she nudged Hermione with her elbow. "It's fine if you don't want to, I understand. I think you need a man who can complement your intelligence anyway. My brother is missing a few pages from his book and definitely does not know how to act in public" she joked._ _

_ _"There isn't any one person that can keep up with me" Hermione chuckled "unless they're a government official or work for NASA."_ _

_ _"Well I don't know about working for the space program, but there is a certain blonde at this school who can keep up with you just fine."_ _

_ _"Oh, God no" Hermione exclaimed with a smile while shaking her head in disbelief. "I can't believe you would even suggest Malfoy!"_ _

_ _"Oh, come on, Mione! He's changed substantially since the war ended and if you haven't noticed, he looks at you...a lot."_ _

_ _"Yeah, as he plots to destroy me and everything I love" Hermione chortled as the pair continued walking, never noticing the group of Slytherin's strolling behind them._ _

_ _"So, when are you going to tell her?" Blaise asked Draco with the nudge of his arm._ _

_ _"What? What are you talking about?" Draco responded quickly, not realizing what his best friend was actually referring to._ _

_ _"That you've changed and that you're not out to get Granger anymore. What did you think I was talking about?" he questioned curiously._ _

_ _"Oh..." he chuckled in relief. "I don't know. It's not like she would believe me anyway o-or that it would mean we would be friends or something."_ _

_ _"You don't have to be friends with her, Draco. The Mind Healer at St. Mungo's just said that you have to admit your wrong doings to her in order to move forward."_ _

_ _"That Healer is a load of rubbish!"_ _

_ _"But he has helped you a lot this past year. Maybe after lunch you can say something to her?"_ _

_ _"Or maybe I could just keep my distance until graduation and never to speak to the girl again!"_ _

_ _"Don't say I didn't warn you, mate. That Healer is terrifying! I feel like he can see inside my soul" Blaise muttered with a shiver._ _

_ _"Are you talking about Healer Marcum?" Theo asked as he quickly fell into step next to Draco. "Please save me" he whispered as his eyes lowered to the ground._ _

_ _"Theo!" Pansy called out a little too gleefully as she quickly ran up to a groaning Theo and entwined her arm though his. "You left me all alone back there with those dimwitted seventh years" she pouted._ _

_ _"Apparently, she is trying to make you jealous by clinging on to me!" Theo whispered to Draco through clenched teeth. "Take her! I will give you anything you want, just take her!"_ _

_ _Draco tried to hold back a laugh as he looked at his desperate friend pleading with him before leaning over to whisper back._ _

_ _"I'm rich, mate. I already have everything I want. There is nothing you can give me that would be worth trading you for" he chuckled loudly as him and Blaise continued walking towards the end of the bridge, away from Theo and Pansy._ _

_ _"DICK!" Theo shouted while Pansy released his arm and huffed with a stomp of her foot._ _

_ _"Mr. Nott!" McGonagall reprimanded, causing the boy to turn around mortified._ _

_ _"Sorry, Professor" he whimpered._ _

_ _McGonagall shook her head before waving him off. Theo bolted into a run to catch up to his friends before he caused anymore unwanted trouble for himself._ _

_ _As the students arrived at the end of the large concrete bridge, they paired off into groups and began talking among themselves as their Charms Professor, Flitwick, and Herbology Professor, Sprout, unraveled the long silver chain they would be using as a Portkey for the day._ _

_ _"Two minutes everyone!" Professor Sprout announced as she waved her wand in the air to gather the students' attention. "Please grab a hold of the chain anywhere you can and make sure your grip is tight! Do not, I repeat do not relinquish your grasp until we have arrived at our destination! Is everyone clear on that?"_ _

_ _"Yes, Professor" the students claimed in unison._ _

_ _Hermione and Ginny grabbed a hold of the now floating chain with one hand and giggled as they began hip shoving into each other. Draco rolled his eyes as he too took hold of the silver chain and waited for the sharp jerking sensation of the Portkey spinning him uncontrollably across the country to a muggle museum he would give anything not to visit._ _

_ _He didn't have to wait long though because the next thing he knew, he was standing in a Wizarding Entrance Hall just off to the side of the museum; disillusioned to look like a conference room they could exit from without drawing unwanted attention._ _

_ _XX_ _

_ _"Good Morning ladies and Gentlemen!" a cheerful petite blonde woman began at the top of the wide stairs leading up to the massive pillared entrance behind her. "My name is Bethany Woodrow and I am very pleased to welcome you all to the World Museum in Liverpool, England!"_ _

_ _The chaperoning Professors clapped their hands with wide smiles plastered on their faces forcing a few students to groan as everyone applauded together._ _

_ _"Why am I here again?" Draco asked throwing his head back in annoyance, but as his gaze fell forward Professor Sprout gave him a sour look from the bottom of the stairs. Releasing an exacerbated sigh Draco crossed his arms and tried to pay attention as Blaise chuckled next to him._ _

_ _"Now," Ms. Woodrow continued merrily "I know of your background since I too was sorted into Hufflepuff, yay!" she shook her fists in the air making all of the Slytherin's, look at her in disgusted confusion._ _

_ _"Well that explains the smothering cheerfulness" Blaise chortled into his hand._ _

_ _"Anyway, your Professors have strictly stated that I give you a list of rules to follow. I promise the list is sort but bear with me. Rule one: there will be no use of any magic in front of muggles while you are on museum grounds. You are already dressed as if you came from a muggle private school so you will not stand out, and there are plenty of security guards from both worlds to keep an eye out...so wands away at all times! Rule number two: there will be no eating or drinking unless it is kept in the compounds of the food court only! That includes gum and candies as well!"_ _

_ _Ron groaned loudly causing Hermione to smack his arm with the back of her hand before he got them all in trouble. It was a known fact since the beginning of first year that when one of them did something, it was automatically assumed the rest of the Golden Trio did as well, and Hermione was not about to go down because Ron was upset he couldn't eat while walking around._ _

_ _"And the last rule," Woodrow stated with all seriousness "Do not, I repeat, do not touch any of the displays or cross the red roped boundaries unless the Centre allows it. Any student caught breaking a single one of these rules, will be sent home immediately, and disciplined accordingly. Does everyone understand?"_ _

_ _The students nodded their heads as they replied harmoniously._ _

_ _"Very good. Oh, we are going to have so much fun! Please follow me and we will begin your journey into the wonderful world of world history!" The students began to make their way up the stairs and into the massive building. Most stayed with their friends while some separated, excited to view a few displays in the entryway. "Eighth year students, you may venture off on you own as long as you let a Professor know where you are going, seventh years if you could line up against the wall over there while we grab your tour guides for the day; we'll be starting shortly!"_ _

_ _"I am not leaving your side" Ginny demanded in a whisper as she held tightly onto Hermione's arm. "I can't stand half that class and I fought in the war too! I deserve to be allowed to see what I want, when I want."_ _

_ _"I'm sure you would be allowed to walk with us" Harry claimed as he put his hands into his pockets._ _

_ _"Doubtful," Ron chimed, crossing his arms with a sour expression. "They won't even let us eat in here, how pathetic is that?"_ _

_ _"Ms. Weasley," Professor McGonagall began as she walked up to the group._ _

_ _"Shite" Ginny whispered under her breath. "Y-yes, Headmistress?" she questioned as innocently as possible._ _

_ _"There is no need to suck up, Ms. Weasley. I was simply coming over to let you know that you are free to roam the museum with your friends. After all, you fought in the war too and should be allowed to see what you want...when you want."_ _

_ _"Y-you heard that?" she asked frowning._ _

_ _"I hear everything, dear. But I will let you in on a little secret...I was going to let you join them regardless. You are a bright student and have shown great maturity over the years. You and Ms. Lovegood are exempt from following your peers through a guided tour."_ _

_ _"Oh, thank you, Professor! Thank you, thank you, thank you!"_ _

_ _"Just please follow the rules and don't make me regret this decision" McGonagall smiled as she tipped her chin down and peered over her spectacles._ _

_ _"I promise you, I will not break a single rule! And Hermione and I will make sure these knuckleheads" she proclaimed, pointing to Ron and Harry "don't get into any trouble either!"_ _

_ _"I am sure you will do your best" the professor chuckled before walking away to speak with Luna._ _

_ _"Yay" Ginny exclaimed as she jumped up and down in excitement. "Okay, let's go before she changes her mind!"_ _

_ _The Gryffindor clan, Luna included, explored the museum to their hearts content. Hermione was pleasantly surprised that she and Harry were not the only ones who seemed to enjoy the muggle history. Ron seemed absolutely fascinated by the aquarium on the first floor, yet he became utterly terrified of the bug exhibit located on the second. Draco however, had no problems teasing him with fake spiders he purposely bought from a gift shop for such occasions. Theo and Blaise tormented Pansy so much she refused to enter the room. She simply sat outside and waited until her friends appeared so she could move on to the Clore Natural History Centre where she could actually hold and examine objects that didn't have a dozen legs._ _

_ _As Hermione and her friends stopped for lunch, due to Ron's incessant need to constantly feed, the Slytherin's continued to the next floor. But once Theo heard about the Weaston Discovery Centre where he could handle objects from around the world, the gang found themselves stuck for an hour in the exhibit so Theo could touch every single thing he was allowed to get his hands on._ _

_ _"Can we skip the third floor for now" Neville asked eagerly as him and his friends exited the café area. "I was wondering if we could go to the fourth floor and see the Natural World exhibit and the Dinosaur fossils. We can come back to World Cultures and Ancient Egypt later. If not, we can meet up afterwards."_ _

_ _"Whoa!" Ron held up a hand in excitement. "They have Dino bones here? I am so there!"_ _

_ _"Yeah, let's do it" Harry added. "Mione, Gin, did you wanna come?"_ _

_ _"Are you kidding?" Ginny questioned with a raise brow. "Of course, we're coming! We can see the Planetarium on level five after before heading down to Egypt. Easier path to take than backtracking so much"_ _

_ _"Sounds, good to me" Hermione smiled._ _

_ _As they made their way into the Dinosaur exhibit, Ron and Harry ventured off to see the Ice Age mammal bones as Neville and Luna went to see the plains of Africa and the canopies of the jungles; leaving Hermione and Ginny to explore the Dinosaurs together._ _

_ _Hermione had never seen Ginny so excited to examine bones outside the realm of Dragons and Thestrals and it made her happy to see her friend so eager to learn something new._ _

_ _"Holy crap" Ginny announced as she pointed to an information board in front of a propped-up skeleton. "Did you know Velociraptors were extremely cunning? Bet they would be sorted into Slytherin. This one sort of looks like Nott, don't you think?"_ _

_ _"They're fast too" Hermione chuckled, ignoring the question to begin listing another fun fact. "And they hunt in a pack, which is dangerous for their prey."_ _

_ _"Huh, interesting" she ticked._ _

_ _"If you want to see something really scary, Weaselette, all you have to do is look at your brother" Draco joked as he came up behind the girls and put his hands on Hermione's shoulders while peaking around her head to see what they were looking at. His cheek lightly brushed up against hers but she didn't flinch...she didn't even seem to care that he was touching her._ _

_ _"That, Malfoy, is something you are actually right about" Ginny announced while she continued to hunch over and read the board._ _

_ _"I'm always right. What are you looking at anyway?" he leaned over more to see the sign. "The Velociraptor, huh...Aren't they supposed to be bigger?" he questioned, standing up straight and removing his hands to cross his arms; fully expecting the bookworm go into teaching mode and explain it to him._ _

_ _Hermione sighed as she pointed to the skeleton._ _

_ _"They resembled birds more than reptiles, Malfoy. They actually had feathers rather than the tough scaled skin the world is used to seeing...See how they're just slightly larger than a turkey; they weren't huge like most people think."_ _

_ _"Interesting"_ _

_ _"Anything else you would like to know?" she asked pressing her lips together in annoyance._ _

_ _"Nope, that about covers it...Pay up" he stated as he held his right hand out to the side._ _

_ _"Ugh, that was such an unfair bet" Blaise claimed as he and Theo removed themselves from their hiding place behind the island._ _

_ _"You were betting on me?" Hermione questioned in shock._ _

_ _"Yes and no" Draco explained as he took the two galleons from each of his friends. "We all knew you would tell me the facts, we basically were just betting on whether or not you would punch me for touching you. Turns out, I was right and I learned something new."_ _

_ _"You didn't need to bet on something so childish, Malfoy" Ginny chimed in while crossing her arms. "It would take a lot more than you touching her to cause Mione to punch you."_ _

_ _"Oh, yeah...Like what?" Blaise asked hoping to get the girls in on a new bet._ _

_ _"Oh, I know" Theo smirked mischievously. "You ready to make another bet?" he turned to Draco and winked, forcing Hermione to want to take on whatever challenge he had up his sleeve. She was dying to have some more fun in her life and it turned out the best way to do that, was to add some Slytherin's into the mix. Not that she would do anything to break the rules of course and it wasn't like they would become instant friends afterwards. If they were willing to put blood status and spiteful hate to the side for a day, she could too._ _

_ _"Bring it on, Nott. There is nothing you can do to make her break and punch Malfoy. Though he damn well better be prepared if she accidentally slips and clips him the nose again."_ _

_ _"Wait a minute here! Why am I being volunteered for this?" Draco asked while holding his hands up in defense. "I'm not trying to get punched again!"_ _

_ _"Don't worry, mate!" Blaise stated as he wrapped his arm around his tall friends' shoulders and started wiggling Draco's nose back and forth. "We won't let big bad Granger ruin that beautiful perfect nose of yours" he laughed before he patted Draco on the chest and began walking out of the exhibit with Theo._ _

_ _Ginny quickly ran to catch up, leaving Hermione and Draco standing awkwardly in the room._ _

_ _"Well uh..." Draco began as he rubbed his right hand on the back of his neck while trying to figure out if this was a good time or not to say what his therapist had been prompting him to say for months now._ _

_ _"I'm not going to hit you" Hermione cut in when she saw the worried look plastered on his face. "Let's...let's just have some fun without breaking any listed rules, okay? I promise I won't ruin your 'beautiful perfect nose'" she chuckled nervously as she mocked Blaise's description of Draco._ _

_ _"Ha! So, you admit I have a perfect nose!" he joked, hoping the elephant in the room disappeared quickly._ _

_ _"I admit you had a perfect nose once. Before I ruined it third year" she smiled as she found it easier to talk to the boy she no longer viewed as an enemy._ _

_ _She now saw the blonde git as more of a person she could maybe see herself being friends with one day; if he ever stopped picking on her friends. However, since he had stopped calling her mudblood and they only bickered to try and find a sense of normal anymore, he no longer seemed like that horrible boy she once knew. He still had his flaws, but he had changed a lot since Voldemort's downfall the year before, and she fully expected he was hurting inside...just as much as she was._ _

_ _"So, where's Parkinson?" Hermione questioned anxiously._ _

_ _"The loo" he replied, putting his hands in his pockets. "Betting on things isn't really her forte anyway. All she cares about is what she wants."_ _

_ _"Oh...I'm sorry to hear that. But won't she wonder where her friends went when she gets back?"_ _

_ _"Nah...She'll most likely try and find some hot bloke to flirt with until I get back and then continue to torment me into the next century" he laughed softly._ _

_ _"Are you two coming or are you just going to stare into each other's eyes all day?" Blaise asked as he whipped his head around the corner. "We got shite to do and people to mess with! Let's go!"_ _

_ _"I guess that's our cue" Draco stated nervously as he pinched his lips together and held his brows up._ _

_ _"After you."_ _

_ _The group of teens, that seemed so normal to everyone else outside the wizarding world, ran through the museum as if it was their playground. The boys were challenged to slide sideways down the rails of the staircases while the girls where tested on how many people they could fool with fake crying. Ginny of course came out on top because she excelled at acting, while Theo argued his last place stance because he fell off the rail due to a security guard startling him._ _

_ _Taking their fun elsewhere, they ended up in the exhibit of Ancient Egypt, which was fairly large and extremely impressive._ _

_ _"Whoa!" Theo announced as he ran up to a glass encased sarcophagus lying in the center of the room. "Is there really a mummy in there?"_ _

_ _"No," Hermione chortled as she walked up to the artifact "Those would most likely be held at the Smithsonian Museum, if they are still viable. This is just the sarcophagus."_ _

_ _"That's bullocks."_ _

_ _"Hey, Granger" Blaise called out from the other side of the room. "Check this out! I think it would look good on a Halloween costume for you at my party this fall! You're coming right?"_ _

_ _"I didn't know I was invited" she stated, cracking a small smile as she and Theo walked over to the rest of their group, who was admiring a large gold insect with a textured body set between fanned scalloped wings encasing a single bezel set round cut emerald._ _

_ _"Of course, you are!" he exclaimed in surprise. "You're coming too, Red...But if you bring your friends, Weasley included, just make sure they don't act up, alright?"_ _

_ _"Okay, Zabini...We'll see" Hermione replied as she looked to Ginny with raised brows and a tentative grin._ _

_ _"What is it?" Ginny asked looking away from her friend and back to the artifact; intrigued by its golden beauty._ _

_ _"It's a scarab beetle. Often used in ancient Egyptian jewelry as a symbol of protection" Draco answered, shocking the two Gryffindor girls. "Don't look at me like that, I know things too."_ _

_ _"I wonder who it belonged to?" Hermione questioned as she read the small handcrafted framed label in front of the amulet._ _

_ _"It says an unnamed pharaoh's advisor that was brutally murdered by the people of Egypt." Ginny said, touching a left finger to her chin. "Archeologist were able to decipher a tablet of stone claiming the advisor cast a spell on the amulet in order to protect his remaining family from future harm" she finished softly before looking back up the beautiful pendant. "Well whoever he was, he must have had a strong neck, that thing looks heavy. It's bigger than my hand."_ _

_ _"I bet you ten Galleons you won't touch it" Theo smirked._ _

_ _"What?" Ginny stated in complete surprise. "That's breaking the rules, Nott. I won't do that."_ _

_ _"Awe you're boring...how about you, Granger? Brave enough to grab the thing?"_ _

_ _"Nott, it was fun while it lasted but that is going too far. We could get kicked out for doing that."_ _

_ _"Oh, come on! Where's that Gryffindor courage? You broke into Gringott's for crying out loud! Picking up a stupid pendant isn't going to harm anyone."_ _

_ _"We don't know that!" Hermione argued in disgust. "We don't know what that amulet is or where it even came from! An anonymous donor gave it away for a reason and its spelled! For all we know it could have some ancient curse on it or something."_ _

_ _"Granger, we are in a muggle museum" Theo announced as he threw his hands in the air to make his point. "Plenty of people have touched that thing. I am sure it is just fine."_ _

_ _"Yeah, with gloves on so the acid in their skin didn't destroy a relic!"_ _

_ _"You all are a bunch of sissies. Okay, I'll make it interesting...twenty Galleons!"_ _

_ _"Nott, we aren't doing it no matter how much you bet!" Ginny claimed in annoyance._ _

_ _"Let it go, Theo" Blaise interjected, hoping his friend would back off and let them continue having fun. "We don't need to get in trouble over a bet."_ _

_ _"Since when did you become such a pussy?"_ _

_ _Draco looked back and forth at the four classmates as they continued to argue around him. He and Blaise both knew though, that Theo wouldn't give up until his bet was locked in place or the girls walked away; which neither of them really wanted. It was the first time in his life that he'd been able to hang out with Gryffindor's freely and it was the first time in a long time, he actually had fun doing it. He wasn't about to let Theo ruin a good thing before it even started._ _

_ _"Fine, I'll do it!" Draco announced as he reached over the red rope and grabbed the amulet from the white display stand._ _

_ _"Have you lost your damn mind, Malfoy?" Hermione whispered as she looked around to make sure no one was watching. "Put it back!"_ _

_ _"Why? It's not like it did anything. See," he held up the jeweled pendant to show it was okay while Blaise peered over his shoulder to get a better look. "You're right though, Weaselette, it is heavy" he claimed as he bounced the scarab on his palm._ _

_ _"Let me see!" Ginny quickly asked as she went to touch the amulet in Draco's hand, but Hermione grabbed her wrist to stop her causing her to grip the pendent hard._ _

_ _Draco pulled his hand back instinctively thinking Hermione was going to give them away, but the pull of Ginny's grasp caused his grip loosen. The redhead released her hold so she wouldn't break the pendant, thinking Draco still had a firm clutch on it; however, the amulet began to fall to the floor and the students watched in horror as it crashed to the ground with a loud clang._ _

_ _Both Draco and Hermione bent down to pick up the jeweled relic when Draco noticed a bright green light emerging from the large crack that had formed on the shell of the insect. Hermione still tried to pick it up with Ginny worriedly gripping her shoulder, so Draco quickly clasped her wrist to stop her. Blaise gasped in fear as he began to tug Draco away, but as rapidly as the light appeared it vanished just as quickly, causing the four of them to pause in alarm._ _

_ _"What the hell is that noise?" Theo asked covering his ears, now standing a good six feet away._ _

_ _However, no one was able to answer as the piercing noise grew louder; rattling the display cases while the floor below them shook violently before suddenly...everything went quiet._ _

_ _"Get away from it" Draco stated under his breath. "Get away from it!_ _

_ _He grabbed a hold of Hermione's bicep just before a green light burst from the heart of the jewel, knocking all four of them backwards. As the wind was knocked from his chest, he felt his body sucked into a swirling vortex with no foreseeable end._ _

_ _"Oh shit!" Theo began to chant as he watched his friends disappear before his eyes." Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit! FUCK!"_ _

_ _Landing hard on his back, Draco grasped at his chest as he gasped for air, unaware of Hermione lying next to him in the same condition. He rolled around as he tried to breathe in, but his lungs refused to work, and he felt like he was dying._ _

_ _"MALFOY!" Hermione screamed as the sweet blessed air returned to her and she noticed Draco was still unable able to breathe._ _

_ _She quickly sat up, ignoring the pain that engulfed her whole body, and crawled through the dirt covering the ground between them._ _

_ _"Malfoy! Malfoy, breathe! Come on you git, breathe!" she begged as she loosened his tie around his neck and began rubbing his back to help restart his lungs._ _

_ _Finally able to suck in a deep breath, Draco savored the fresh air as if he had just come up from drowning. He took a few more deep breaths before finally trying to sit up. Hermione grabbed his arm to help him and then began looking around at the dense foreign jungle they had landed in._ _

_ _"Wh-where are we? Where's Ginny a-and Zabini, o-or Nott?"_ _

_ _"I don't know" Draco groaned as he rubbed his temples to rid the headache that formed in his skull._ _

_ _"WHERE THE HELL ARE WE?" Hermione panicked as she took a few steps through the field of giant ferns._ _

_ _"I don't know! Salazar, I hit my head hard" he claimed while looking around._ _

_ _Spotting the amulet on the ground, Draco carefully picked it up before looking up at Hermione, who was now in full panic mode as she searched through overly large leaves in her skirted uniform._ _

_ _Rushing back, Hermione helped him stand before walking off through the trees without him._ _

_ _"Where are you going?" he asked as he pocketed the amulet in his trousers before trailing after her._ _

_ _"To find out where the hell we are!"_ _

_ _"Granger, we're in a forest...or jungle...or something" he retorted as he eyed the trees around him curiously. However, he knew something was severely wrong when he spotted several plants that he was absolutely certain should have been extinct long ago._ _

_ _"That much is obvious, you dolt!"_ _

_ _"How about you don't start with the bloody name calling and try apparating us out of here!" he suggested, knowing he couldn't do it thanks to the ear-splitting headache pulsing behind his eyes._ _

_ _"When the hell did you become so stupid, Malfoy? We don't know where the hell we are! For all we know, we try to apparate and we could splinch ourselves o-or worse! We are not apparating anywhere until we know what the fuck just happened!"_ _

_ _"Okay! Stop...yelling..." he trailed off as his stomach churned in terror._ _

_ _"Merlin's beard, I can't believe this is happening!" Hermione freaked as she stared at the ground in front of her, but she quickly stopped walking, whipped her body around, and marched towards him in anger. "This is entirely your fault! If you hadn't picked up that amulet in the first place, we wouldn't be stuck in God knows where, without our friends!" she paused briefly when she noticed Draco wasn't really listening. He stood frozen in front of her with fear radiating off his pale skin and his lips began to tremble as his eyes grew wide in horror. "Oh, now you wanna finally shut-up! Because you know I am right about this!"_ _

_ _"Stop talking..." Draco pleaded as his breath grew heavy._ _

_ _"No! How dare you tell me what to do when you are the one who put us...Godric, wherever the hell we are? What, is my yelling not helping your headache at all? I DON-"_ _

_ _"Granger" he whispered, clasping his hand quickly over her mouth to shut her up. He stared off into the distance behind her as his lips quivered heavily, hoping...praying...she would remain quiet. "I-I don't think where is our p-problem."_ _

_ _"What? Why?" she asked as she smacked his hand away from her, thinking he was just trying to mess with her._ _

_ _"Don't...fucking...move" he demanded, grabbing her by the shoulders, stopping her from turning away from him._ _

_ _Hermione confusingly rotated her head to follow his gaze and when she saw what he was so afraid of, her heart dropped into her stomach as her breath caught in her throat. Draco slowly pulled her behind him before gently backing away from the animal eating carefree at something he couldn't identify._ _

_ _"M-M-Malfoy..." she whispered as she grabbed the back of his white button up. "W-we need to run"_ _

_ _"I-it can't see us if we move sl-slow" he uttered as his eyes stared hard at the large beast before them._ _

_ _"Malfoy, that-that's a myth."_ _

_ _"No, it's not" he snapped._ _

_ _"Yes, it is. And even if it wasn't-" Hermione began to argue, but the sound of a twig snapping under her foot as they backed away, stopped the pair dead in their tracks "it can still smell us" she finished in a whimper._ _

_ _They both watched in horror as the Tyrannosaurus Rex lifted its head up from devouring the underbelly flesh of the armored Ankylosaur. It sniffed the air once before emitting a loud terrifying roar making their blood run cold and their hearts stop instantly._ _

_ _"Run" Draco whispered while his eyes widened at the sight of the towering seventeen-foot reptile._ _

_ _"What?"_ _

_ _"RUN!" he screamed as he quickly turned around and pushed her forward; trying his best to get them both out of harm's way._ _

_ _XX_ _

_ _"How do we even know Malfoy, Nott, and Hermione are around here? How do we know they even got sucked into that vortex too?" Ginny demanded while she and Blaise walked through a large open hay field._ _

_ _"We don't, okay?" Blaise answered in irritation. "All we know is that we have no idea where the hell we are or how the fuck to get back! Every time we try to apparate we end up back in the same spot we landed, so something is off!"_ _

_ _"Obviously something is off, Zabini! We're in the middle of fucking nowhere and I'm getting mud all over my legs!"_ _

_ _"We wouldn't be in the middle of nowhere, if you wouldn't have touched that stupid amulet in the first place!"_ _

_ _"Oh, so this is my fault?"_ _

_ _"No! No, Merlin you are insufferable! I'm saying that it's that stupid amulets fault! A-and Theo for being an intolerable gambler!"_ _

_ _"Well, it doesn't matter how it happened, the fact of the matter is, we are fucking stuck, Godric, where ever the hell we are with no idea how to get back!"_ _

_ _"I GOT THAT!" he screamed as he stopped walking and turned to face the red-headed girl next to him._ _

_ _Ginny was about to open her mouth to argue when they both suddenly heard faint yelling off in the distance._ _

_ _"What is that?" she asked looking to the edge of the forest line while scrunching her eyes trying to see clearer._ _

_ _"Better question; who is that?"_ _

_ _"Is that...Oh, my Godric" she exclaimed in surprise. "It's Hermione and Malfoy!"_ _

_ _"Why are they running...and screaming?"_ _

_ _"Who cares?" she questioned confused before she began jumping up and down while waving her arms in air to let their friends know where they were._ _

_ _But her jumps slowed as the ground below them began to rumble in an odd pattern. Their friends' shouting was now closer and Blaise tried his best to understand what they were screaming. All he could tell was that Draco and Hermione looked like they'd seen the ghost of Voldemort, and whatever they were yelling, was completely incomprehensible._ _

_ _"Are they saying run?" Ginny asked as she continued to watch the duo sprint like their lives depended on it._ _

_ _"MUD!" Hermione screamed until her throat was raw and her legs felt weaker than ever, praying to anything and everything, that the pair would hear her. "MUD, GOD DAMMIT, MUD!"_ _

_ _"She's saying mud" Blaise corrected. "But why is sh...OH, MY FUCKING-WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT?" he shrieked as the two-story T-Rex barreled out of the tree line with an exploding roar expelling from its massive jaws. "WHAT- THE ACTUAL FUCK-IS THAT?" he yelled as he grabbed Ginny's arm and began making a break for it._ _

_ _"NO, stop!" Ginny shouted while tugging Blaise back to her. "Mud, we have to cover ourselves in mud!"_ _

_ _"Are you serious right now? Do you not see tha-"_ _

_ _"For once in your damn life Zabini, fucking listen to me! Hurry, we don't have a lot of time!"_ _

_ _Ginny pulled out her wand from the holster on her thigh and expanded a mud puddle to her left as Hermione and Draco tried spell after spell to slow the monstrous dinosaur chasing them. But their efforts were lost in vain as nothing worked and the beast was closing in fast._ _

_ _The T-Rex snapped its colossal teeth at them, forcing Hermione to grab Draco's arm, and dodge to the right to avoid becoming a prehistoric meal. The duo stumbled but quickly regained their footing as they continued to run in terror. Draco sent a Bombarda at the ground, distracting the T-Rex long enough with a massive explosion, giving Hermione time to point her vine wood wand at the grass ahead of her, expanding a puddle. She then immediately grabbed the blonde Prince and dove into the shallow muddied water._ _

_ _They quickly splashed the dirt liquid all over themselves to cover up their scent before gripping on to each other as the King of the Dinosaurs stopped its chase and sniffed at the air for its missing prey. Hermione accidentally released a small whimper when the dragon sized reptile roared again in anger, making Draco instinctively cover her mouth with his right hand._ _

_ _They watched in horror as the Tyrannosaurus Rex took a few large steps while looking for them before giving up and turning away. When the coast was finally clear, Draco removed his hand slowly as Hermione began to weep into her palms in relief._ _

_ _Blaise and Ginny rushed over to the pair as fast as their legs could carry them in fear that their friends were hurt. Ginny slid to the left side of Hermione and hugged her tightly as the brunette cried into her chest. Blaise began looking Draco over for any traumatizing wounds before deciding he was fine and helped him to his feet._ _

_ _"What the fuck was that thing?" Blaise asked as Ginny continued to comfort her shocked friend._ _

_ _"A dinosaur" Draco replied callously. "A fucking dinosaur, in the middle of the fucking jungle, trying to bloody fucking eat us!" he yelled as he shoved is dark-skinned friend in anger. "What the fuck kind of fucking question is that?"_ _

_ _"Malfoy, stop" Ginny pleaded while she rocked Hermione back and forth in her arms._ _

_ _"NO! We are stuck fucking sixty-five million years IN THE FUCKING PAST!" he screamed as he threw his hands in the air._ _

_ _"We got that...can you please stop yelling?" Ginny begged again._ _

_ _"A-are you bloody kidding me right now? What part of, that was a fucking dinosaur, did you not understand?"_ _

_ _"She understood all of it, alright?" Blaise chimed in. "You're in shock, I get that, but if you keep yelling you'll bring that fucking monster right back here. Granger already saved our fucking lives once...I would rather she not be put through that again. So, do us all a favor, and shut-the fuck- up!"_ _

_ _"Put her through that again?" Draco asked in absolute shock. "That's what the fuck you're worried about right now-WE JUST GOT CHASED BY A FUCKING T-REX!"_ _

_ _Blaise momentarily stared at his blonde friend breathing heavily in front of him, before quickly raising a hand and smacking him hard across his right cheek._ _

_ _"Ow! What the fuck, Blaise? Did you just fucking slap me?"_ _

_ _"Shut...Up!"_ _

_ _"You really just fucking slapped me! Who the hell slaps people?"_ _

_ _"Guys, please" Ginny declared defeated. "Please...just stop. We have no idea where Nott is, we are stuck in...well whatever time period this is, and you're arguing is getting us nowhere. Hermione is inconsolable right now and I honestly don't blame either one of you for freaking the hell out; but can we just...for one brief fucking moment stop and just catch our damn breath? Please?"_ _

_ _Draco looked down at the wavy-haired brunette crying into Ginny's chest before looking up to Blaise as his body unconsciously shook in fear. He took a deep breath before letting it out slowly and quickly crouched down in front of Hermione._ _

_ _"Granger?" he began while placing two fingers under her muddied chin. "Granger, look at me." Hermione allowed him to turn her head gently as Ginny and Blaise curiously watched the bizarre situation before them. "Granger, you're okay...You're safe, alright? It's not coming back a-and Theo isn't here so you don't have to worry about him...You saved us, you hear me? Y-you saved us and we are going to get the hell out of here, okay?" Hermione slowly nodded her head as she stared wistfully into Draco's eyes. "I need to hear you say it."_ _

_ _"I-I'm...o-okay" she stuttered before sitting up and wiping away at her tear stained cheeks, unconsciously smearing more mud over her skin._ _

_ _"Yeah...Yeah, me too."_ _

_ _Blaise and Ginny gawked in shock as Draco picked up Hermione's wand from the mud and handed it to her to put back in her bag before he rose from his knelt position, rolled up his mud caked sleeves, and helped the Gryffindor Princess to her feet. He then reached out a hand to help Ginny up and turned around to start walking towards the sound of rushing water._ _

_ _"What the hell was that?" Blaise asked while running to catch up to the blonde; still utterly confused on how Draco of all people, got Hermione to calm down. "Is there something you want to tell me, mate?" he demanded while grabbing Draco's bicep, whipping him around. "What the hell was that? And why did you just assume Theo isn't here too?"_ _

_ _"Nothing, alright" Draco claimed while shoving Blaise's hand off him. "Now is not the time..."_ _

_ _"That wasn't nothing! Is something going on between you two?"_ _

_ _"No! For the love of-no!" he threw his hands in the air as discontent filled his veins. "I just know what happened and what she was thinking!"_ _

_ _"You knew what she was thinking? What, did you read her mind?"_ _

_ _"Gods Blaise, no!" he snapped. "She had an episode, alright? I was helping her because I quite literally almost had one myself! You wouldn't know about those since you didn't actually fight in the damn war! You hid out in another country because you refused to pick a side while Granger, Weasley, and I battled through all the carnage a-and death, a-and fought bloody fucking Giants that aided in tearing apart our school!_ _

_ _"You don't get to come at me demanding what the fuck I just did when you weren't there! You go to that damn Healer to try and deal with your regret for hiding, but Granger and I go to try and get rid of the nightmares that torment the living shite out of us! So, do me a fucking favor and back the hell off!"_ _

_ _Blaise took a step back, speechless at his best friends' sudden confession. He knew Draco was going through a lot, but he had no idea it was this bad. He figured the sessions with the Healer were helping his blonde friend, but never did he think his scars ran so much deeper._ _

_ _"I-I'm sorry" was all he could say as he was at a loss for words._ _

_ _"Sorry doesn't fix you leaving!" Draco growled while running his fingers through his muddy disheveled hair, slicking it back, before turning away. "Sorry doesn't change the fact that getting chased by a large carnivorous dinosaur, sixty-five million years in the past, brought up a terrifying memory for her!" he claimed sharply as he rotated back._ _

_ _"Okay, mate" Blaise retorted, holding his hands up in defense. "I get it...I fucked up by asking. I'm sorry...I really didn't know."_ _

_ _"You're damn right you fucked up!" Draco stated in a groan. "Look, I know Theo isn't here because I saw him! He didn't get hit by the invisible force like we did! And I don't know how the hell we are getting home, or why some cursed amulet brought us back to whatever time this is-"_ _

_ _"The Cretaceous period" Hermione cut in softly as she and Ginny slowly caught up to the arguing Slytherin's, who turned their heads to her in surprise._ _

_ _"What?" Blaise inquired peculiarly._ _

_ _"We are in the Cretaceous period" she repeated calmly while tightening her beaded bag around her right wrist. "And judging by the Pterodactyl or Pterosaur over there...it's hard to tell from this distance," she pointed off to the west at the sun beginning to set behind dark ominous clouds where a large flying bird-like creature flapped its massive wings against the strength of the wind that was starting to pick up. "I'd say we are in a later part of the era, and a massive storm is brewing so we should probably find some shelter quick because from what I've read, you don't want to be caught dead or alive in a prehistoric monsoon."_ _

_ _"Where are we going to find shelter out here?" Ginny questioned while throwing her hands in the air. "There is nothing but trees for miles!"_ _

_ _"But there's a river" Draco cut in as he looked off to the left and studied the rushing waters flawless stream. "And where there's a river..." he spoke aloud to himself before running towards the water's edge and looked out to see if he could spot where the waterway ended "there's an ocean" he finished as he turned back around with a large smile plastered on his face._ _

_ _"An ocean?" Ginny asked while raising a perplexing brow. "Malfoy, a monsoon raises the water level, why would we go closer to a giant pool of liquid that would engulf us instantly?"_ _

_ _Hermione stared unseeingly as she thought hard about what Draco was trying to say. It wasn't the best plan ever but it could work...if they got lucky._ _

_ _"There would be less dinosaurs roaming around since the ocean is three and a half percent sodium" she grinned as she ran towards the river and stood next to Draco._ _

_ _"Do you know what the hell they are talking about?" Blaise asked as he looked to Ginny completely confused._ _

_ _"No idea" she claimed, clicking her tongue against the roof of her mouth._ _

_ _"Which means no fresh water" Draco finished Hermione's sentence before the pair turned to their baffled friends with wide smiles._ _

_ _"Would someone mind explaining to Red and me, what the hell you two are talking about?"_ _

_ _"If there's no fresh water, Zabini," Hermione began to explain "then there will be fewer animals around..."_ _

_ _"And with fewer animals..." Draco continued "means the less meat-eating dinosaurs we'll run into"_ _

_ _"Because there's less food!" Hermione finished while touching Draco's arm excitedly._ _

_ _Draco looked down at her hand touching his left forearm, imprinted with the faded dark mark, before looking back up to her with a shameful tentative smile. Hermione's face fell when she realized what she had done and quickly pulled her hand back before awkwardly looking up at their friends._ _

_ _"If we're lucky" she began, clearing her throat to rid the embarrassment she felt "we might find a cave in a cliff or something to hide out in. Then in the morning-"_ _

_ _"If we survive" Blaise interrupted while holding a finger in the air to help his point._ _

_ _"Yes, Zabini...If we survive, then we can work out a way to get out of here. There is also plenty of fish in the sea so we won't go hungry and since rivers contain fresh water, we'll have plenty to drink if we collect some now and we can rinse this mud off. Plus, we can use the water charm in case of emergency. Once we get down to the beach, we just have to avoid the smaller scavenging carnivores that will roam the sands for dead animals."_ _

_ _"You act like everything you just said is going to be easy Granger?" Blaise stated with an eye roll. "But it looks like we don't really have a choice here so, if we are going then we better do it now before that storm is above us."_ _

_ _"I agree" Hermione declared as she reopened her bag and brought out her wand. "But let's not take any chances" she finished firmly while looking for a few large rocks to transfigure into water bottles._ _

_ _"So, why didn't they work?" Blaise questioned as the group began to fill the bottles with fresh river water._ _

_ _"Why didn't what work?" Ginny asked while rinsing the mud from her hands._ _

_ _"The spells Draco and Granger threw at the T-Rex? They just bounced off the thing like they were a Bludger hitting a Beater's bat."_ _

_ _"Their skin" Draco replied as he finished filling his bottle and put the cap back on. "It's as thick as a Dragons' hide and would take almost half a dozen wizards just to stun it. Except for some reason, even the most powerful spells, which would normally take down a Dragon, wouldn't penetrate the skin of the Rex. Its hide must be thicker..." Hermione stared at Draco in awe as he glanced to her and shrugged. "I told you...I know things too."_ _

_ _Shaking her head at the shocking explanation that just came from the blonde Slytherin, Hermione finished closing the cap on her bottle and stood up to place everyone's water into her charmed bag. At that moment, the sky began to open up and sprinkle small droplets of rain on their heads, forcing the four to continue their journey to find shelter. Completely unaware, that their quest to return home, would lead them on an adventure...for their lives._ _

_ _***_ _

_ _**Special thanks to my wonderful, awesome, amazing beta, who not only helped me edit this story to the best of her ability, but helped give me inspiration for certain eras that will appear in this story. Thank you Scorpia11, you are a hero!_ _

_ _AN- I hope to not ruin the flow of this story with authors notes, like I sort of have in my repeat story, but I want to get this out because it's important to me. So, funny story, a year ago in September, I began writing. My first fanfic ever, which still needs to be edited lol, was a time travel story...My one year anniversary and by total coincidence (wasn't trying to) is a time travel story. I have grown as a writer over the year and I am truly grateful for the gift I never saw coming. I promise to give you all the best story I can because you guys, keep me going. So Special Thanks to my readers as well. You all are so amazing! And shout out to '' on adult fanfiction for your wonderful message! I will do my best to continue to post on the days I promised! XOXO_ _


	2. Ties to the Past

Chapter 2- Ties to the Past

Wednesday May 5th, 1999

Draco grabbed a hold of Hermione's bicep just before a green light burst from the heart of the jewel, knocking all four of Theo's classmates backwards. The energy surged through the room forcing Theo to shield his face momentarily with his arm as glass display cases exploded to pieces around him and his friends cried out in fear.

"Oh shit!" he began to chant as he watched the four people in front of him disappear into absolute nothingness before his eyes. "Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit! FUCK!"

Looking around the room at the glass shattered all over the floor, Theo grabbed his hair and began to sob as panic started to set in. Minutes later, Professor McGonagall, along with security from both muggle and wizarding worlds, rushed into the room with expressions of shock and disbelief etched over their faces.

"Wh-What in the name of Merlin happened here?" McGonagall gasped with a hand clasped to her chest. She looked around the destroyed room slowly before her eyes flickered to where Theo was knelt on the floor sobbing into his hands. "Godric!" she expressed as she rushed towards the Slytherin boy and cradled him into her arms. "What happened here? Are you hurt?" she questioned as she pulled back some and clasped Theo's face between her palms.

"I-It's all my f-fault" Theo sobbed uncontrollably. "They're g-gone and it's all my fault! They're gone!"

"Who's gone? Theodore, who is gone?"

Theo lowered his head and continued to cry just as Harry, Ron, Neville, Luna and Pansy came barreling into the room with worry etched on their brows.

"What the hell happened here?" Ron asked as he took a bite of a granola bar he had kept hidden in his pocket. "And what's with Nott crying his eyes out?

Professor McGonagall whipped her head around and gazed at the individuals while security began to survey the damage. It suddenly occurred to her that four students were missing from the group of seventh and eighth years and she slowly turned her wide eyes back to Theo before waving down a wizarding guard.

"Get all of the muggles out of this building. Tell Professor Sprout, you know which on she is, right?" The thin guard with a large mustache nodded his head before the Headmistress continued. "Okay, good...Tell her to Portkey all the seventh years to Hogwarts and then have Professor Flitwick come up here to take the remaining students back."

"Whoa, take us back?" Harry cut in confused. "Professor, what's going on? What happened here? M-maybe we could help in some way."

"What...in the...world!" Ms. Woodrow exclaimed as she gasped through heavy breaths; evidence that she had ran as fast as she could up multiple levels of stairs "Wh-Wh-What in Helga Hufflepuff is going on here?" she demanded in a mixture of shock and anger. "What did you do?" she looked to Theo on the floor in McGonagall's arms. "What the heck did you do?"

"I'm sorry!" Theo stated loudly through his sniffles. "It was just a bet! I didn't know it would kill them!"

"Kill them?" Harry inquired while taking a step forward." Kill who, Nott?"

"D-Draco...Blaise...G-Granger a-and Weasley" he answered sadly. "It was just a bet..."

"YOU KILLED MY SISTER!" Ron shouted in fury as he dropped his snack and began sprinting across the room towards the brunette Slytherin. But Harry and Neville reached out to stop him as the Headmistress released Theo and stood up firmly to block the redhead from getting to the boy on the ground. "SHE'S MY SISTER, YOU PIECE OF SHITE! WHAT'D YOU DO TO HER?"

Luna and Pansy's eyes began to water as they thought about the deaths of their friends and unconsciously held onto each other's arm for comfort; no longer caring that they were enemies or the fact that had they never really like each other.

"No one is saying they are dead, Mr. Weasley" McGonagall interrupted before taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly. "Security and I will figure out what happened. Until then, you five are to go back to Hogwarts and stay in your common room unless told otherwise. Once things have settled down, I will personally see to it that you are informed of-"

"No disrespect Professor," Harry cut in a bit crudely as Professor Flitwick entered the room "but we aren't leaving until we know what happened to our friends. You of all people know we will do whatever it takes."

Professor McGonagall sighed deeply knowing full well that Harry and his friends would not listen to her when it came to their loved ones and that she had no choice but to involve them; otherwise she would have to deal with the chaos of their actions on top of everything she was about to deal with now. She just really hoped that the four students in question...weren't actually dead.

She quickly scanned the room as she thought about what to do next before focusing her gaze back to the group in front of her.

"Alright, listen up" she began in an authoritative tone before pointing to a guard that wasn't a muggle. "You, gather up all the security footage from the past hour and get others to help you obliviate any muggles who witnessed the event that occurred. Ms. Woodrow, I know that this is shocking and I completely understand, but I need you to bring some water to Mr. Nott here so that he can calm down enough to tell us what happened."

"Yes, ma'am" Woodrow answered quickly with a small bow before rushing out of the room.

"Professor Flitwick, was Professor Sprout able to set the Portkey up alright?" the half-goblin raised his stunned eyes to the Headmistress and with a nod of his head McGonagall continued. "Good, I want you to go down to the surveillance room with Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley, who could use some cooling off of his own, and go over the footage."

"But Professor..."

"Do not argue with me Mr. Potter. I am already allowing you to be a part of this mess. I do not need to worry about you and Mr. Weasley while we talk to Mr. Nott. Please, just do as I say; think of it as some training for when you begin at the Auror Academy."

Harry reluctantly sighed before pulling at Ron's arm for him to follow, however the redhead refused to move as he glowered furiously at Theo who was now wiping away tears from his cheeks.

"Mr. Weasley" McGonagall stated firmly, with a touch of warning in her crisp voice, causing Ron to glance up at her in fear and anger before hesitantly backing away in order to follow Harry.

Ms. Woodrow came rushing back with a full paper cup of water just as Harry, Ron, and Professor Flitwick left through the large archway.

"I got the water!" she exclaimed, completely out of breath from running down the hall while holding the cup in the air.

"Why didn't you just conjure some?" Pansy asked with a raised brow.

"I don't carry my wand while at work. It's policy; no concealed weapons unless authorized."

But Pansy just rolled her eyes as she let out a sigh and walked over to Theo who was now sitting in a chair that a guard had given him. Luna joined her as Neville rubbed the back of his own neck and began pacing back and forth.

"Theo" Luna began as she crouched down in front of the Slytherin staring unseeingly at the floor "Theo can you look at me, please?" the dark-haired wizard slowly raised his eyes to her, making the Ravenclaw smile warmly as Woodrow tried to hand him the water. But he didn't even lift a finger as his gaze lingered on the blonde girl in front of him. "Can you tell us what happened?" she continued while taking Theo's hands in hers, but the boys' lips declined any sort of movement. "It's really important that you tell us what transpired here. Our friends could very well be fine, but we won't know that unless you talk to us" she inquired gently.

However, Theo simply continued to stare sadly at the Ravenclaw and everyone started to think the worst.

"He's in too much shock" Neville claimed while running his fingers through his brown hair "He's not going to tell us anything!"

"Give him a moment, Longbottom!" Pansy retorted in disgust before brushing a strand of Theo's hair out of his face.

"He doesn't want to talk to us!"

"Enough!" McGonagall yelled in annoyance. "Bickering is not going to get us anywhere. He is just a boy...a boy who has witnessed something unimaginable. Give him a-"

"It was just a bet..." Theo muttered, still gazing at Luna. She squeezed his hands lightly, urging him to continue as everyone in the room went quiet. "We were having fun" he continued softly as he lowered his head "nothing bad was supposed to happen. Draco picked it up because the girls didn't want to..."

"Picked what up, Theo?" Pansy asked tenderly while rubbing his back.

"The necklace..." he stated, raising his eyes to the empty display to his left. "Weasley wanted to touch it s-so Draco let her. We didn't think the curse was real...but Granger wasn't sure, so she grabbed Weasley's hand to stop her..."

"What happened after that, Theo?" Luna questioned delicately when he stopped talking for a moment.

"D-Draco must have let go when Weasley did because it fell to the floor. Granger and Draco bent down to pick it up when a bright green light lit their faces. Then the ground started to shake and there was this...this loud piercing noise, you know the kind that makes you cover your ears, before everything...went quiet. I could hear Draco tell them to get away from it, but it was too late. Some sort of green energy burst through the necklace, throwing all of them backwards before..." he turned his amber eyes back to Luna "before they just disappeared in front of me. It was just supposed to be a stupid bet."

The Headmistress lowered her hand from her chest as she breathed a sigh of relief. In all her years of teaching, there was never a moment when someone vanished during death or even died from disappearing into thin air. She became hopeful once more that four of her most intelligent students, were still alive.

"Alright," she began after swallowing hard and Luna stood up and walked over to Neville to comfort him "Ms. Woodrow-"

"Please...call me Bethany. After all, I feel we are going to be seeing a lot of each other."

"Very well...Bethany...Can you search through you records and find out what that necklace was and what sort of curse was placed on it?"

"I-I wish I could, but that amulet was a donation from an anonymous benefactor. We have no firm background on it or the curse. This is a muggle museum, there shouldn't have even been any enchanted objects placed in here. Our magical security team scans every artifact before it is put on display, so unless the curse was undetectable..."

"You have no source of information that can be obtained on it; nothing at all?" McGonagall asked incredulously.

"There is a brief history that was put on the display...Just a second!" Bethany ran over broken glass scattered on the floor and picked up the fallen plaque. She tilted the shattered frame to the side to remove the glass particles, but her lips fell as she realized the label was unreadable. "Is...Is there a way you can fix this?" she asked holding up the broken frame. "All I can read is something about a Pharaoh."

"I can certainly try...but for all we know, the curse could have rendered it and everything else in the room irreparable, unless done the muggle way."

"Professor," Luna chirped "Perhaps myself and Professor Flitwick, could search the Library at school for any information on the amulet. If it really had magic placed on it, then there has to be a written record of it."

"That is an ingenious idea, Ms. Lovegood...and do check the Relic's Archive in the restricted section as well. Bring all the books you can on amulets, jewelry, Pharaohs, and Egypt. We can all sort through them together."

Luna nodded her head before kissing Neville good-bye and racing out of the room with the Charms Professor.

Over the next hour, Professor McGonagall tried her best to restore the information label but it was to no avail; the curse had stopped all magic from penetrating its barrier and refused to be fixed. Harry and Ron however, found their way back to the exhibit and quickly informed everyone of what they had seen on the footage. The raven-haired boy-who-lived, retold the same events as Nott had described, causing anyone who had held doubts about the Slytherins' honesty, to accept the story as fact.

By the time Luna and Professor Flitwick returned with a hoard of tomes, the group had managed to tidy up what they could of the room before grabbing multiple books and searching every page for an amulet that resembled a scarab beetle. They were worn out and tired from reading after hours had passed but everyone refused to give up. Even Pansy, who hated reading, had flipped through fourteen books in three hours before finally taking a break with the others when the words began to blur together.

Nonetheless, Luna and Bethany refused to stop their search, even going as far to translate multiple passages for those who couldn't read other languages, but neither of the women could find the amulet in any of the tomes. It wasn't until Luna flipped through her twenty-sixth book that she found what they were looking for.

"Hey Theo..." she called out while studying the old dusty page "is this the necklace Draco picked up?"

The group quickly removed themselves from the tasks they were preforming and crowded around the Ravenclaw as Theo squeezed himself towards the front to confirm or deny Luna's question. He studied the relic in the book carefully before nodding his head.

"Y-yeah...but I can't read any of what this says. It's all in pictures a-and some strange language."

McGonagall and Flitwick both sighed in relief as they leaned in closer to get a better look.

"It's Arabic" Luna replied with a wide grin. "I can read it..."

"Please do, Ms. Lovegood" Bethany requested eagerly. "Latin and Greek are more my strong suits, however I am still learning Japanese and the Arabic dialects, so I'm not very good."

"It would be my pleasure" Luna chirped excitedly "I just need a minute to refresh my memory."

"Take all the time you need, Luna" McGonagall replied as she adjusted the spectacles on her nose. "Just do try not to take too long. I need some information to go on before I inform a few parents that their children are missing. Merlin knows they won't be pleased..."

While Luna nodded her head and began to read the passage first to herself, before translating it, Draco, Hermione, Blaise, and Ginny were trying to get comfortable in a small cave they found on the edge of a cliff by the beach. They had collected clean water from the river, but were caught in the torrential downpour caused by the storm they'd seen brewing merely an hour before.

They were soaking wet and freezing as they stumbled into the cave clutching their arms close to their chests. Before starting a fire, Hermione flicked her wand and charmed everyone's clothes dry and clean to stave off illness. As the brunette lit a fire, Ginny first suggested they use the warming charm to keep themselves from freezing to death; however, it was Draco who told her that that spell only lasted for about an hour before it would have to be reapplied and they couldn't continuously preform it if they were going to try and get some sleep. He even added, that multiple uses of the charm will render it ineffective after a while due to the body growing accustom to the magic, and that is was better to save it just in case they needed it later down the line.

Hermione was a little irritated that the blonde had beat her to the punch, but she was grateful that someone other than herself, knew survival skills; she just wasn't fond of the idea that it was Draco Malfoy who was just as intelligent as her. Though the thought wasn't due to hating the ex-Death Eater sitting against the cave wall across from her, because she didn't, she just didn't really know him outside of the prat who used to make her life a living hell growing up. Ginny was right however, he had matured since the war and he didn't call her Mudblood anymore, but she was still weary of what he could and even would do, if anyone ever crossed him.

She could definitely hold her own against him if it ever came down to it, which she hoped would never happen, and she wasn't afraid of him like everyone else in school was. There was simply a dark ominous shadow that loomed over him making him seem deadlier than he was, and she sort of felt bad for the rich pale boy who only had a few real friends.

"What are you thinking about?" Ginny whispered as she nudged Hermione gently with her shoulder. "I can tell when you're thinking about something serious."

"It's nothing like that, Gin" she replied as she looked away from the blonde talking to his best friend and down at her hands. "I was just thinking about what we're going to do. We can't charm mattresses to sleep on because if we somehow find a way to get back and we leave behind anything from the future, we can really mess up our present timeline."

"Mattresses, that's what you're thinking about? We can use the cushioning charm and be fine. Why don't you tell me what's really on your mind and not try to make up some ridiculous lie to deflect from you staring at Malfoy."

"I wasn't staring!" Hermione whispered in surprise.

"Please," Ginny scoffed as she leaned her red head back against the rocks behind her "it's obvious you were and I can tell there's something going on in that large brain of yours. So, just tell me."

"Was it really that obvious?" Hermione questioned worriedly as thunder reverberated around them.

"He didn't notice, if that's what you're concerned about" Ginny answered as she bent her legs up and rested her forearms on her knees while the rain continued to pour outside the cave's open entrance. "But that doesn't mean he doesn't know. I think he has a thing for you, Mione."

"No, he doesn't!" Hermione laughed as she play-pushed her best friend.

Ginny giggled softly as she shuffled her feet across the dusty stone floor before taking in a deep breath.

"He does though, I can tell...He voluntarily helped calm you down from an episode and you yourself told me how he protected you from that freaking dinosaur before it started chasing after you both. He might have been a major dick to you before the war, but no one does something like that unless they have reason."

"He just didn't want my death on his hands, Gin."

"Mione...think about it. Draco Malfoy was a coward for the longest time. He was selfish and only thought of himself. He would push someone from his own house in front of Death if it meant he could escape it; you are no exception. But now he not only shielded you from a giant reptile, he literally tried his best to take away the memory you were reliving. Something I still have trouble doing to this day."

"He was just being nice since his side lost."

"A side he betrayed to fight for the light..." Ginny smirked as Blaise walked over to interrupt them.

"Hey Red, Draco needs your help with putting up some defensive charms around the cave to ward off any lingering animals. I suck at barrier spells and he was going to ask Granger, but we all know she's been through a lot in the past few hours, so he wanted to give her a chance to rest."

Ginny turned her head to Hermione and winked making her best friend roll her eyes and smile before standing up and walking over to Draco who was now watching the rain fall heavily outside. Blaise took Ginny's seat and pulled out the amulet the blonde Slytherin had given him and handed it over to the Gryffindor bookworm.

"Draco said to give you this. He found it on the ground when we all fell, but he hadn't had the chance to hand it over to you until now" Blaise stated softly. Hermione took the scarab in her hand and began studying it as the dark-skinned wizard took the same position the red-headed girl had sat in moments before. "So, whadda think? Can it be fixed?" he asked while pointing to the necklace.

"I don't know" Hermione replied as she brought the amulet closer to her face to get a better look at it. "Maybe...Though, I don't think it would do us any good if we don't know how it works; plus, the stone is missing and I highly doubt we are going to find it now" she sighed as she lowered the golden beetle to her lap. "For all we know, breaking it released something that we have no clue how to put back in and if by some miracle we find the stone and put it back together, we can't know if it would even send us home."

"Blimey, we are so screwed. I am not built for this era" Blaise claimed with a small laugh as he tilted his head back.

"No one is, Zabini, hence why it's the age of reptiles. Sixty-five million years of roaming the Earth with no humans to concur them. They were kings and queens that ruled the world until a comet wiped them out and the age of mammals took over."

"How do you know all this? They didn't teach any of this at Hogwarts."

"Reading over the summers, watching documentaries on the telly...museums; it's all a part of history and I love learning everything I can. And they do teach it at Hogwarts. It's called Muggle Studies, remember?" she chuckled softly.

"Huh...I never took that class, but it sounds interesting" he replied, honestly beyond fascinated. "So, are you able to tell us where we are?"

"Not really. I don't exactly know when we are so if I had to guess, we could very well be on Pangaea."

"What the hell is a Pangaea?" Blaise questioned with scrunched brows.

"Pangaea? It's when all the continents were one. A three-pronged fissure grew between South America, Africa, and North America..." Hermione raised a brow and giggled softly when Blaise's furrowed brow deepened in further confusion. "Basically, giant earthquakes separated the continents until they became what we know today."

"Oh! Got ya. That's pretty neat."

"Not if you were present when it happened. Lots of volcanic eruptions, magma...lava...flowing everywhere, shifting land mass, and oceans spilling into the cracks; it was messy."

"I'll say..." he replied intrigued. But as the duo sat in silence for a few minutes, Blaise thought about what to say next. He had never really talked to the Gryffindor Princess and always thought of her as a prissy know-it-all that just had to be right about everything. However, sitting down and actually having a conversation with her was a whole different story. She was nice and she wasn't pushy with her knowledge like Pansy claimed for years. He actually liked talking to her and he was learning new things his travels around the world had never taught him.

"How's Malfoy doing?" Hermione asked, interrupting his thoughts and catching him off guard.

"Why do you ask?" he questioned, now realizing he could potentially see if the Gryffindor Golden Girl shared any sort of feelings for his best mate.

"No reason..." she replied gently as she looked down at the amulet in her hands before putting it in her beaded bag for safe keeping. "I just figured since the war..."

"That he was in therapy too?" he finished for her. Hermione nodded her head as she felt embarrassed for even asking, but something inside her really wanted to know if the sessions with Healer Marcum helped the Slytherin Prince any. "Well," Blaise continued "I think he's a lot better than he used to be. He sort of lost the urge to be a bully and instead focused more on protecting those he deemed worthy to be in his life..." he looked to Hermione who was watching Draco and Ginny place shield charms at the entrance of the wet cave, and leaned in as he too watched the pair laughing and talking to the left of them.

"You know, if you keep staring, I'm going to have to assume you like him" Blaise whispered as he tried to hold back a smirk.

"I do not like him!" Hermione rebutted as she snapped her face to the dark-skinned wizard, forcing him to chuckle as he backed away.

"Could have fooled me"

"I don't like Malfoy! I just feel...I don't know...bad for him?"

Blaise raised a brow in confusion before looking to Draco who now seemed sullied as he talked to Ginny quietly.

"Don't feel pity for him, Granger. He may have had a tough life growing up, but he's learning from it. His father is in Azkaban and his mother is finally showing him the love she wasn't allowed to give him as a child. What he needs more than anything right now...is forgiveness. Forgiveness from hurting people his father forced him to hate. He's still learning to change from the prejudice ways instilled in him, but at least he's trying."

"Still...it can't be easy for someone to grow up the way he did; to always try to please the one person who should have been proud of him regardless of what he did or didn't do."

"Life is never easy, Granger, and unfortunately Draco was dealt a bad hand in the family department. He may be the richest guy at school and in the sacred twenty-eight circle...but, no matter how much money he has, it will never buy him the absolution he needs...from you."

"Me?" Hermione asked with a perplexing brow.

"Don't say that I said anything, but Healer Marcum has been badgering Draco for months now to talk to you. You're the last person on the list for him to ask forgiveness from. He's hurt you the most and has pushed it off because he feels like he doesn't deserve to ask that of you...not after everything."

"H-how many people were on his list?"

"More than there should have been. Surprisingly, Potter forgave him, but he sort of gave up on Weasley. He at least tried though; next to you, Weasley is probably the hardest person to ask."

Hermione chuckled gently as she thought about Ron's reaction to Draco asking for forgiveness. He most definitely would not accept him so easily. But she knew over time, the redhead would eventually give in; it just might be years before that would ever happen.

However, she began to think about if she would be so welcoming to the idea of being lenient with the blonde Slytherin. Blaise did say he was at least trying to change, but the past can't easily be forgotten. Draco had caused her more than enough pain for two lifetimes and seemed to revel in inflicting it. Though at the same time, she could recall seeing the brokenness inside his eyes when he watched her suffering on his Drawing Room floor. It was only the second time in her life that she had ever witnessed him show remorse. That moment showed a side of him that he kept tucked away from the rest of the world, a side that proved he was human.

"I...I don't hate him" she finally spoke through the encompassing silence. "I just don't know if I can forgive him yet."

"Understandable" Blaise shrugged. "But think of it this way...Would you want your entire life to be judged-to be summed up by the worst thing you have ever done? The worst thing you didn't even want to do in the first place?" Hermione bit her bottom lip slightly as she thought hard about what Blaise was saying and he was right. If it came down to it, she wouldn't want people to hate her for things she had no control over. Although, Draco did have control over the teasing and torment he forced upon her...But could she still forgive him if he was actually trying to rectify his past deeds? "Will you at least try to get to know the new him...the real Draco Malfoy, before you judge him too harshly?"

"I can't promise anything will come of it, but...I'll try."

"That's all I ask" he smiled warmly before picking up a stick and began poking at the fire in front of him.

"What do you think they're talking about?" Draco asked Ginny as he lowered his wand, crossed his arms, and leaned up against the driest edge of the cave entrance.

"Probably you" Ginny replied with an eye roll as she finished placing the last charm and slipped her wand back into her thigh holster; a gift from her brother, Charlie, who wanted to make sure she always had perfect access to her wand in case of emergencies, but still able to keep it hidden.

"She hates me, doesn't she?" Draco questioned somberly while looking out at the rain pouring down just beyond the barrier wards.

Ginny softened her features and sighed while crossing her arms before staring out at the ocean pounding away at the beach below.

"She doesn't hate you, Malfoy. She just doesn't know you."

"She knows me..." he scoffed softly through his nose "as a cold ruthless spiteful evil little cockroach that deserves to be squashed under her shoe. She has every right to not like me."

"You haven't even really given her a chance to get to know the real you, Malfoy. You still parade yourself around like you're some sort of king and she's nothing but a speck on a map."

"I don't think she's beneath me...not anymore."

"But you still don't like anyone who isn't pure-blooded."

"That's not true!"

"Isn't it? When have you ever been nice to anyone who is half-blood or muggle-born, hm? And do not include everything that happened today."

Draco stumbled over his words as he tried to think of the last time he was ever nice to someone who wasn't of the same blood status as him, but his mind went blank. Even though he had decided to stop bullying others he still laughed when his friends pranked or made fun of someone, especially when it came to Neville Longbottom. There was just something about the guy that made it easy to target him. Still though, he didn't stop them. All he ever did was add fuel to the fire by reluctantly involving himself in some way; even if he wasn't the antagonist anymore.

"You can't think of anything can you?" Ginny questioned softly. "That's your problem, Malfoy. The basis of your kindness are heat of the moment acts that force you to not think for once and just do what you know is right...Look, Harry and I might have pardoned you for the things you have done, but Hermione...she can't just forgive someone because they say they're sorry. You have to prove to her that you're changing. You need to get over your superior ideals and accept that no one is above anyone."

"It's not that easy, Red. Growing up, all I was ever taught was how special I was because I was pure-blood and how to hate those who weren't. It's not as simple as casting a Lumos spell."

"And how did your expectations of that teaching turn out? Your father's in Azkaban, you have little to almost no friends, no one respects you anymore, and Voldemort is dead."

"Don't say his name!"

"He's dead, Malfoy. And even if he wasn't, I'm not afraid to say his worthless name. Take a look around, Blondie; we're stuck sixty-five million years in the past. There aren't any other humans around besides us. He won't even be a thought for millions of years!"

"That doesn't change what he did...Because of him and my pathetic father, every muggle-born in the world hates my family."

"You think you're the only one who has gone through a war focused on an idiosyncratic trait that was beyond hated, because people were too scared to try an understand it? Because those same people were taught from birth that if you're different than you're wrong and don't deserve to live?"

"I know we all fought that battle, Red. I'm not saying I was the only one to experience it." Ginny chuckled softly as she touched her forehead with her hand and shook her head in disappointment. She really couldn't believe that someone as intelligent as Draco, could be so ignorant to the world around him. "What?" he asked, while throwing a hand in the air in annoyance.

"Malfoy, do you really not know about any of the muggle wars throughout history? Muggle Studies was a good class. I learned a lot about the world."

"I refused to attend Muggle Studies after watching Professor Burbage being eaten by Nagini right in front of me on my parents dining table. Besides, that class is worthless anyway. I already learned about the witch trials around the world and how it affected wizarding society. What more is there to know?"

"Oh, I don't know, how about the battles fought over slavery? Massacres to Native Americans because English settlers wanted their land and were scared of them? What about men refusing to give women the right to vote because they thought them weak? Oh, or the times people who weren't rich like you, were thrown into arenas to fight for their lives as entertainment for Royals?" Draco's eyes suddenly widened at the word 'rich' and he discretely checked his trouser pocket for his money bag. When he felt it, he released the breath he was holding and finished listening to Ginny listing off things he wasn't really paying attention to, to begin with. "What about the genocide during World War II, religious persecution, unjust imprisonments? Any of this ringing a bell?"

"Not really, no..."

"Godric Gryffindor, you're missing so much history! The two Wizarding Wars, they are nothing compared to the ones that lasted for decades because the color of one's skin was not up to par with people like you, me, or Hermione. I would rather face a Dinosaur again than have to live through the embarrassment of being looked at as the worst scum in human record after white people realized African's were no different than themselves. I can only imagine the hate you receive on a daily basis and I know you and your friends only continue to bully people as a coping mechanism, but Malfoy, come on...you're not the only one who has had the tables turned on them. So many people have found ways to unlearn the shite instilled in them. You can too."

"It's-"

"Hey guys?" Blaise cut in quickly as he stared down at Hermione's hands. "You-you might wanna look at this!" Draco and Ginny looked over at the other two as the pair stood up in a panic and a green light illuminated their faces. "Now!"

"What did you do, Granger?" Draco demanded as he and Ginny raced over to the duo.

"I didn't do anything, Malfoy!" Hermione retorted firmly while looking up from the glowing beetle in her hand. "It just started shaking in my bag so I pulled it out and the crack was lit up!"

"Well how the hell do we stop it?" he asked with alarm radiating in his voice.

"Get rid of it, Mione!" Ginny yelled in fear as she covered her ears from the piercing noise that was now emitting from the amulet.

"WHAT?" Hermione shouted over the sound.

"DROP THE DAMN NECKLACE!" Draco bellowed as he too covered his ears.

Hermione instantly dropped the amulet from her grasp, but it never hit the ground. Hovering, just inches from the cave floor, the resonating whine instantly went quiet causing the four terrified Hogwarts students to freeze in horror before a burst of energy threw them backwards.

Blaise and Hermione slammed into the cave wall behind them, causing the dark-skinned wizard to hit his head hard against the stone as Ginny and Draco flew backwards into the open air before landing painfully on their backs. The pair began to try and sit up from the dirt speckled floor before a force grabbed a hold of them and began sucking them towards another swirling vortex...into the unknown.

May 5th, 1999

"What's it say, Luna?" Harry questioned in impatiently.

"Oh, dear...This isn't good" Luna replied as she shook her head and continued to read.

"What isn't good?" Ron asked in a panic. "This is my sister, Luna! What isn't bloody good?"

"They aren't dead-"

"How the fuck is that not good?" Ron yelled in anger.

"Let her bloody finish, you oaf!" Pansy demanded before looking back to Luna with worry. "What does it say, Lovegood?"

Luna looked up at the raven-haired Slytherin as distress formed on her lips before looking at the rest of the worried faces surrounding her.

"They aren't dead" she repeated. "They are very much alive, but for how long...I don't know."

"What do you mean, Miss Lovegood?" Professor McGonagall requested in concern.

"The amulet...it was created by an advisor named Osiris around 55 BC. This passage is an entry from a journal he wrote. He was named after the mythological father of the god Horus, who was rumored to have been killed by his brother for his throne. Anyway, Cleopatra was the next to rule Egypt after Ptolemy XII passed away, but someone high up in her court, spread a rumor that Osiris thought she would fail, and that one of her brothers should have taken the crown instead. It was said that whoever told her this, claimed her advisor was planning to rid her of the title she held. The person hated Osiris because he was English...well at the time Romans conquered much of England, so I guess he was technically-"

"You're getting off topic, Lovegood" Pansy stated in annoyance.

"Sorry...Anyway, a secret set up was ensued to blame Osiris for the attempted rape and murder of Cleopatra...under her order. The people revolted at the news; persecuting him by saying he hated the queen because she was female and of Macedonian descent. They threw stones at the man, and set his house, with his family still inside, on fire. Luckily his family wasn't harmed, but the act was enough to enrage the advisor.

"Osiris was a half-blood wizard on his father's side and took the magic he was taught at a young age to create a protection spell on a necklace that was given as a gift from Cleopatra when he was first brought into her court. He knew he would die by the hands of the people for something he never believed or even did, but he refused to let them harm his family."

"So, what spell did he cast?" Harry asked calmly.

"I don't know. The spell used...it's so ancient that no one knows its origins or how to work it, but there is a warning. It says that any who tries to harm Osiris's family or fights in front of the amulet, will be thrown through multiple eras; living through his ancestry for certain periods of time, past and or future from his respective time. If there was persecution in his family, then the amulet will decide which period is best for learning from one's mistakes. Five-time trials will be given as a test; a way to show the evilness of the person's ways."

"But no one harmed his family when Draco picked up the amulet" Theo added.

"They didn't have to. You said that Hermione grasped Ginny's arm when she went to take it, right Harry?"

"Yeah...The surveillance showed it clear as day."

"Okay, so what if the amulet mistook her grabbing Ginny as confrontation? And then when Draco grabbed Hermione to get her away from it...when they dropped it..."

"The amulet thought he was going to hurt her..." Neville finished in surprise.

"Exactly! Two rival houses having a disagreement in front of the necklace, started the process" Luna exclaimed with a large smile, making Harry raise a brow at her joy. He always did think she was a little strange for seeming to be happy in life altering times, but he was pulled from the thought when he recalled something he had seen in the security room.

"There's just one problem" he began while he dropped his shoulders with displeasure.

"One?" Ron interjected. "How can there be just one? We have no idea where in history they even are!"

"That's the problem, Ronald" Harry claimed, raising his eyes slowly to his red-headed friend. "The beetle broke when it hit the floor. You saw it. It cracked before emitting the green light. For all we know...they never made it to eras they were supposed to. They literally could be anywhere."

"So, how do we bring them back...If we figure out where they are that is?" Pansy questioned with an unsettled tone.

"We can't..." Luna answered somberly. "There isn't any sort of way to counteract the curse...They have to go through the trials, until they are finished...or...or die trying."

"Rubbish!" Ron yelled in fear. "That is absolute rubbish! Professors, there has got to be something we can do?" he questioned while on the verge of tears. "It's my sister."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Weasley," Professor Flitwick wistfully replied "but ancient magic...that goes well beyond the means of any wizard or witch in today's world. There is no way to understand the magic used and even if there was...the advisor most likely put a signature on the curse so that only his bloodline can remove it."

"He's correct Ronald" McGonagall stated as the wrinkles on her forehead creased into sadness. "The only thing we can do for them is pray to Merlin to help guide them through this chaos."

"I'm not giving up!" Harry exclaimed in anger. "You lot can, but I am going to search this museum from the ground up until I find them! If they're lost in history then this is the best place to look, wouldn't you agree? I don't care if it's a written record or-or a picture of them somewhere, we can't just sit around and wait, hoping that they're alive" he stated lowering his voice as his bottom lip began to quiver. "Mione would leave us clues, I know she would...And if anyone can get through this, it's her."

Autumn of 102BC

"Ugh Merlin, my head!" Draco groaned as he sat up straight.

"What the hell happened?" Ginny questioned as she rubbed the left side of her ribs before looking around at a vast oasis desert lit up by an overbearing hot sun. "Where the hell are we? And where's Zabini and Hermione?"

"HELP! SOMEONE PLEASE HELP ME!" they heard a voice shout from afar.

Scrambling to their feet, Draco and Ginny rushed towards the sound of screaming to find Hermione hunched over Blaise lying on the ground. The dark-skinned wizard wasn't moving as Hermione held the back of his head in her hands and panic encompassed every nerve in her body. Draco stood frozen a few feet away as Ginny rushed towards the pair and slid to her knees to help examine the wizard lying in the orange-yellow sand.

"Someone grab my bag!" Hermione yelled as she ripped part of her plaid skirt, lifted Blaise's head up, and pressed the fabric hard against the back of his skull. However, Ginny looked around and couldn't spot it anywhere in the dusty bare terrain, but Draco did. Pulling himself out of his paralyzed state, Draco ran past the girls trying to staunch the blood that was seeping into the sand and picked up the beaded bag resting only a few meters away. He spotted the amulet next to the bag and quickly scooped it up before racing back to the trio.

"Wh-what do you need?" he quickly asked as he began trying to find his way around the extension charm placed on the purse.

"Uh-there's uh-the um" she began while trying to remember the right potion needed.

"Granger! What do you need?"

"Wiggenweld! I need the Wiggenweld!" she exclaimed while her eyes began to water. "Harry, hurry! I need to save him!" she snapped out of nowhere; her eyes never once wavering from Blaise's face.

Draco scrunched his face in confusion before he pulled out his wand and summoned the potion from the bag. He looked up at Ginny with dismay before the redhead ripped part of her own skirt, like Hermione had done, before grabbing the potion from the blonde and pouring it onto the fabric. She quickly handed the material to Hermione, who proceeded to replace the bloody cloth with the potion covered one onto the back of the dark-skinned wizards' skull.

"Please heal" the brunette witch pleaded. "Please...please heal."

As Draco watched the scene before him with a sullen expression, he saw something in Hermione that nearly made his heart stop. Her body was trembling from head to toe and she seemed trapped in a trance where her eyes were unseeing and her mind clearly wasn't with them anymore.

"Granger...Are you alright?"

"Please heal...Please, please, please" she continued, ignoring the worried stares of the two people gazing at her. "Please..."

"Mione?" Ginny cut in as she reached over Blaise and touched the brunette's shoulder, but the Gryffindor continued begging as she slowly started to rock back and forth.

"What's wrong with her?" Draco asked curiously.

"She's having an episode...I-I think she thinks Blaise...is Ron" Ginny replied with a tilt of her head. "They were on the run right before the war and Ron got splinched during an apparition. Harry told me not long after he defeated Voldemort. They were escaping the Ministry of Magic and neither of the boys were prepared when Hermione apparated them a second time so quickly. Yaxely followed them to Grimmauld Place so she had to get them out of there as fast as she could. Ron got splinched in the process and Hermione had to heal him with Dittany."

"Granger?" Draco began as he placed his fingers on her chin and turned her red tear stained face to him. "This is Blaise. He's not Ron...I need you to focus because I need you to save my friend, alright?"

"It's...It's not Ron?" she asked as she blinked and sucked in a breath, making her bottom lip quiver slightly.

"No. It's Blaise, Granger...Zabini. And he needs your help right now. You have to tell me if he's going to be okay."

Hermione began to steady her breath as she looked into Draco's sorrowful ocean-grey eyes before looking back down to Blaise in her arms.

"O-okay, um...okay..." she began through a sniffle. "We uh...we need to give the potion a-a f-few minutes to work. H-he should be fine, b-but he'll have a head...ache for a couple of hours."

"Alright...Good. That's good news! Now...can you tell me how this happened?" he inquired tenderly.

"We uh...we were thrown backwards in-into the cave wall..." she answered, but shut her eyes tight and pinched her lips together as she tried to hold back her remaining tears.

"Then what happened, Mione?" Ginny asked sweetly when she didn't continue for a moment.

"Um...he...he hit his head on a rock. I-I didn't know what else to do so I grabbed his arm when I felt something start pulling me. W-we landed here but he wasn't moving. As soon as I noticed the b-blood, I looked around for my b-bag, but I couldn't find it a-and panicked."

"Okay, alright" Ginny stated as she cupped Hermione's cheek. "He's going to be alright so you don't have to worry."

"He pulled me in front of him, Gin" the brunette claimed as she began tearing up again. "As soon as the burst happened, he pulled me in front of him so that he would take the brunt of the wall. He hit his head trying to protect me!"

"Granger..." Draco cut in, making both girls look to him "you should feel honored right now" he smiled tenderly; something he was not known for doing. Usually anytime the blonde Slytherin smiled or laughed was when he was getting joy out of tormenting someone. But it was twice now that he had smiled at Hermione, making Ginny believe even more that the arrogant prat felt something for her best friend...even if it was minor. "Blaise only sacrifices himself for people he's close to or friends with. I don't think you can say that you don't have any Slytherin friends anymore. You're stuck with him now" he chuckled, causing Hermione to laugh lightly as she wiped her nose on her sleeve.

"He's not so bad, I guess" Hermione chortled.

"You're not so bad yourself, Granger" Blaise groaned as he lifted a hand and began rubbing his head in irritation. "Gods, my head hurts."

"Well you knocked it against a rock, mate" Draco scoffed with a smile, happy that his friend was alive. "You're lucky Granger had a healing potion in her overly stuffed tiny handbag."

"Granger," Blaise began as the group helped him sit up. He turned his squinting eyes to her as he rubbed the back of his head with his left hand. "You really need to stop saving my life. I can only sacrifice myself so many times to repay you."

Hermione snickered loudly before throwing her arms around the Slytherin and pulling him into a hug...startling him so much that he yelped in surprise.

"Alright," Ginny smiled "Let's get you some water and figure out where the hell we are" she finished as she summoned a bottle from Hermione's bag and handed it to Blaise.

"Well where ever we landed, at least the sand helped break our fall" Draco added as he stood up and looked around. "I would really rather not get the air knocked out of me like that again. Shite hurt like hell!"

"I think that is the least of your worries, Malfoy" Ginny expressed while looking around at the blistering hot dunes around them. "I think our main concern is how the hell we are getting out of a freaking desert."

"We haven't tried apparating yet" Draco suggested while looking up to the open blue sky. "Maybe we can get lucky and land in a city close to here. What are the largest deserts in the world?"

"Sahara, Gobi, Arabian, Kalahari, Mojave..." Hermione began listing. "There are so many, but at least we know we aren't in England anymore."

"How do you know that?" Blaise asked as Draco stooped down to help him stand.

"England has no true deserts..." Ginny explained as she held a hand over her brows to block out the sun. "Also, we already tried apparating in the Cretaceous era. We just ended up back in the same spot we landed each time."

"So, we're stuck here" Draco said while dropping his shoulders, though it was more of a statement than a question.

But Hermione wasn't listening to the group as she pulled out her wand and cast a locator charm to try and find the closet body of water. Her wand lay flat on her palm and began spinning in circles like a compass, as she rotated her body back and forth to find the right direction. The wand suddenly stopped as it faced west where her bag had lain when she couldn't find it. She began taking a few steps when something in the sand caught her eye.

"Mione...Where are you going?" Ginny asked perplexed when she spotted her friend walking off without them. However, Hermione kept walking and for a moment, the two Slytherin boys thought the Gryffindor was leaving them behind when the bookworm halted her stride and bent down to pick something up. "Zabini, are you okay to walk?" Ginny asked, wanting to catch up to Hermione quickly.

"I'll be fine. Go ahead, see what's she's doing" he encouraged while Draco helped support him up right.

Ginny quickly nodded her head before running off through the sand. She caught up to her friend pretty quickly, but stopped instantly when Hermione held up a large piece of a torn burnt red cloth.

"What the hell is that?" the redhead questioned as she leaned in to take a closer look.

"A flag...I think" the bookworm replied while opening the material to see what was written on it. "Uh...Gin?" she began with wide eyes right as the boys walked up to them. "I have a strong feeling that I know where we are..."

"Where?" Draco inquired while readjusting himself to hold Blaise's arm over his shoulders better. "Wait...is that...is that Japanese writing?"

"No, actually it's...Chinese...I-I think we're in the Gobi Desert...in China." Hermione answered with astonishment.

"China?" Ginny yelled in shock. "How the bloody hell did we get all the way to China?"

"I don't know" Hermione replied as she dropped the flag and began looking off in the distance at a large sand dune. "But one thing's for sure; if we don't find shelter...and soon, we could freeze to death out here."

"Freeze?" Blaise questioned with a raised brow. "Granger if you haven't noticed, we're in the middle of a desert. It's hot as fuck out here."

"For now..." Hermione began to explain as she dropped her shoulders and turned back to the group. "This desert can get extremely hot or extremely cold, there's no in between. It gets little to no rain due to the mountains blocking the clouds and night time is the worst time to be stuck in a barren wasteland like this because the temperatures drop significantly. Plus, with sand storms to worry about and scorpions...we're sitting ducks out here."

"Can we try a locator spell? Maybe find the closest body of water?" Draco suggested as he pulled his wand from his pocket. "Small ponds usually have palm-like trees we can use for shade and then maybe we can conjure a tent or something."

"I already used a locator spell" Hermione sighed. "The closest water to us is that way" she pointed behind her "but who knows how far away it actually is. And we can't conjure a tent. I know it's unfortunate, but if that amulet teleports us again and we leave behind something-"

"Yeah, we get it," Draco cut in while rolling his eyes "we can mess up the future. But it doesn't really seem like we have much of a choice here, Granger. There could be civilization around so we can make a tent that is similar to what they used to have in this time."

"Malfoy," Ginny interrupted calmly "we don't know what year this even is. Dinosaurs could still be roaming around."

"It's extremely unlikely, Red" the blonde retorted. "Humans and Dinosaurs never appeared at the same time...That flag has writing on it, so that means mankind. I might not know much about muggle history, but I do know my reptiles. The only ones you'll find around here are snakes and geckos."

"He's right, Gin" the brunette witch said softly. "We just need to figure when we are and soon. Let's just take a count of the supplies we have before venturing off into the unknown."

Ginny shook her head in frustration before taking Hermione's beaded bag from her hand and began to search through it.

"Well there are three bottles of water, some granola, potions, books-" she began as she searched deeper and deeper into the small charmed purse.

"How the hell can you even see what's in there?" Draco questioned with a raised brow. "I had to Accio the potion she needed to heal Blaise. It's like a dark void in that thing."

"I helped organize it before we left for the field trip. Besides, I've gone through this thing so many times...eventually you just get used to it."

"Wait, did you say books?" Hermione asked holding out a hand to stop the conversation. "Is my world history book in there?"

"Umm...I think-Yeah!" Ginny exclaimed in excitement as she pulled out a large textbook and handed it over to the brunette witch.

Hermione began scanning through the pages for anything about China and the Gobi Desert as she turned around and began walking west. The trio behind her looked at each other in confusion before trailing after her and up the large sand dune.

"There are so many things that happened in this country" Hermione began as they almost reached the top of the mountain of yellow sand. "It's going to be hard to figure out what year this is" she continued, not bothering to look up from the book when the group stopped to gather themselves.

But as Hermione kept reading, Blaise, Draco, and Ginny all stared with open mouths and wide fear-filled eyes at the scene before them.

"Uh...Granger..." Draco spoke as he took in a deep breath. "Does that help any?"

Hermione lifted her head to look at the blonde before following his finger to where he was pointing. She looked out into the distance and covered her mouth in shock as her eyes widened at the horrific scene before them. A mangled peninsula city stood only a few hundred meters west with thick black smoke billowing from crumbling towers and buildings. The city wall laid in a heap of rubble with thousands of bodies scattered over the sand stretching to the base of the dune where the students stood rooted in fear. Spears, swords, and arrows could clearly be seen lodged in the corpses of men and horses alike...staining the sand around them a deep crimson red.

Judging by the silence encompassing the battle field, Hermione knew the remaining troops had left only a day or two before. The acrid smell of death and decay filled their noses and churned their stomachs as their eyes flitted over the land. A large pond could be seen to the east, just inside the barricade, the cool crystal-clear waters that glittered in the sunlight, looked completely out of place among the fallen.

"What the bloody hell happened down there?" Blaise asked; his shaky voice cutting through the horrid silence.

"Mione..." Ginny uttered without taking her eyes off the massacre "does this help pin point where in time we are?"

"Um...I uh...I c-can look" she stuttered before tearing her eyes from the mangled corpse of a boy that looked no older than herself, and looked down at the open book in her hands. She began skimming through the pages for anything resembling a massacre or a siege when she stopped flipping and stared in shock. "The Silk Road..." she whispered softly.

"The what?" Draco questioned as he snapped his head to her.

"This is the forty-day battle that helped open The Silk Road..." she repeated. "This is the aftermath..."

"Aftermath? Of what exactly?" Ginny asked in disbelief.

"The War of the Heavenly Horses..."


	3. Forgiveness is Never Easy

Chapter 3- Forgiveness is Never Easy

Autumn of 102 BC

"War?" Blaise questioned in concern. "Did you say war? This was a battle over...what'd you call them, heavenly horses?"

"What's a heavenly horse?" Ginny asked as she finally looked away from the carnage towards Hermione.

"They were horses known to have great power and endurance and rumored to sweat blood, giving them a heavenly look, making them ideal for war" Hermione began to explain as she read through the page explaining the war. "However, authorities believe that is was just blood-sucking parasites that caused the blood to mix with the sweat when the horses were worked."

"That's gross" Blaise cut in making Draco and Ginny give him a sour look. "What? It is!"

"Carry on, Granger..." Draco stated with a wave of his hand while removing Blaise's arm from around his neck.

"Okay, uh...Um, so Emperor Wu of Han China" Hermione continued "one of the richest and most powerful empires of the world at the time, sent a diplomate Zhang Qian, to the west to gain allies, but he was captured by the Xiongnu clan just north of Han China. He spent ten years treated relatively well before escaping and when he made it to the city of Erqin, he witnessed the people using the great heavenly horses-"

"I meant 'carry on'; meaning give us the short version of what happened here, not the entire book worth of information" Draco growled in irritation.

"Well you asked!" Hermione retorted.

"We don't need a full backstory of the whole thing, Granger! Just tell us how it happened and why there are thousands of dead people down there!" he replied in frustration.

"Well the backstory is just as important!"

"Guys!" Ginny interrupted with annoyance filling her voice causing the bickering pair to glare at each other before Hermione went back to looking at the book in her hands.

"Anyway..." she continued with a sneer eerily similar to Malfoy's "after the Emperor learned of the horses, he sent a diplomat out to make a trade deal. The people of Erqin told the diplomat no and then killed him. Once the news reached the empire, the Emperor sent out six thousand Calvary and twenty thousand infantries to take the horses by force."

"That's a lot of people just for horses" Blaise stated in awe.

"Yes, but most of the men died of starvation crossing the desert, so the Emperor then sent out sixty thousand recruits from the prison population, thirty thousand horses, one hundred thousand oxen and twenty thousand camels and donkeys to hold supplies. They crossed the desert and conquered neighboring cities with ease before they spent forty days trying to take the wall of the capital Dayuan."

"So, this is Dayuan?" Ginny asked as she pointed to the broken city with her hand.

"Correct" the Gryffindor bookworm stated. "The nobles withdrew to the inner walls and decided to offer terms of surrender. They killed their king, Wugua, and sent his head to the Han General. Then they offered him all the horses he wanted as well as supplies in return for the army's withdrawal, however, they also threatened that if he did not accept the offer that they would kill all their horses. So, he took three thousand heavenly steeds and some provisions before leaving."

"Three thousand?" Blaise asked in shock. "Three thousand horses for almost, what...forty thousand dead men? That has to be the worst trade deal in the history of trade deals ever!" he chuckled lightly making Ginny scoff in irritation.

"And they just left the dead here?" Ginny questioned sadly while ignoring the dark-haired Slytherin. "No burial, no mourning...no 'Hey we'll come back later and collect them to give them a proper funeral for fighting a war they most likely didn't want any part of.' They just left them here to rot like-like their sacrifice meant nothing! All for three thousand fucking horses!"

Blaise, Draco, and Hermione looked to the fiery redhead with sorrowful eyes, knowing she was thinking about the loss of her brother Fred during the Battle of Hogwarts. The battle where many people who didn't want to fight, lost their lives protecting the one place they all used to call home.

"Gin, I-"

"It's fine, Hermione!" she snapped as she handed her friend back her bag. "I know this isn't Hogwarts, but that army could've at least had the decency to not leave their dead behind! Those soldiers fought for that stupid Emperor, who hid safely in his temple as they were slaughtered just to bring him something, he was too stubborn to get on his own!"

Ginny scoffed in anger as she tried not to cry, before storming down the hill away from the stunned group.

"Is-is she okay?" Blaise asked in a near whisper.

Hermione dropped her shoulders as she sighed softly and watched her best friend walk through the yellow sand towards the mass of twisted mangled bodies.

"No Zabini..." she replied as she released a sharp breath "she is far from okay."

Hermione shut her book and safely tucked it into her bag before moving to take a step down the dune.

"Hey Granger," the Italian began as he held out a hand and took a step forward to stop the Gryffindor "mind if I go talk to her? I mean, I know I'm not you or anything, but...I'd like to give it a try. If you don't mind that is." The curly-haired witch looked at Blaise in confusion before glancing to Draco who also seemed perplexed while standing between them. "Please?"

"I...uh...sure; I guess" she answered as she curiously set her gaze back to the dark-haired Slytherin. "Malfoy and I can set up camp while you're gone."

"Okay, good-uh, I'll see if we can find anything we can use down there...Maybe some tents or something."

"Alright...Just..." Hermione began, but cut herself off and bit her bottom lip nervously.

"What is it?" Blaise inquired with a raised brow while putting his hands in his pockets.

"Just...she lost more than her brother during that war, Zabini. She lost a part of herself too. Please...go slow with her, okay?"

"I will. Don't worry, Granger, I won't do anything to make things worse...I promise."

"Okay" she gave in after releasing a deep breath. "We'll uh...we'll be just over there when you're ready to find us" she claimed pointing behind her to the area they had just come from. "I don't think we should be close to the city...just in case."

"Okay" he smiled as he bowed his head and turned around to catch up to Ginny.

Hermione though, watched the wizard as he ran to catch up to her friend, worrying about both of them; Ginny with her loss and Blaise with his head injury. Not that he wasn't fine now, the potion most definitely had worked, she was merely worried due to her state of mind when trying to fix him. Last thing she wanted was to cause the man who had braved a rock wall for her, long-term pain.

"Granger, they'll be fine" Draco stated, cutting her thoughts off as quickly as they came. "We should set up wards before it gets dark. I saw a dead ox over there" he pointed to the left of them to indicate the stray carcass about thirty feet away "we can see if maybe it has some supplies or something to build a fire."

She nodded her head as Draco nervously folded in his lips before heading off to check the animal. All the while, Blaise pushed through the pounding headache surfacing in his skull as he ran to catch up to Ginny. The Gryffindor redhead kicked at the sand in anger while thinking about how cruel the world could be. Silent tears began to form in her eyes as she looked around at the carnage before her and all she could think about was her lost brother.

A whole year without one of the twins was the worst year the Weasley's ever had to endure. The pain that engulfed the family, George more than anyone, was heart wrenching and almost unbearable. But they at least were able to bury Fred...the families of the men lying deceased in front of her, unfortunately could not say the same.

"Hey Red..." Blaise called gently, pulling Ginny from her sorrow filled grim thoughts. "You okay?"

"Do I look okay, Zabini?" she snapped while throwing her head up in annoyance at the question that clearly didn't need to be asked.

"Well no, not exactly. I figured I'd still ask though" he defended while putting his hands in his pockets and exhaling softly, hoping that his calm demeanor would be enough to soothe the building tension.

"What are you even doing down here? And where is Hermione?"

"She and Malfoy are setting up a camp for us. I volunteered to come down and scavenge for supplies..."

"You mean pilfer the dead? That's..." she scoffed as she shook her head in disappointment. "Great. That's really fucking great!"

"I also came down so I could talk to you-'

"Talk to me?" she bit out, making the Slytherin worry that he might say something wrong and make things worse. "What the bloody hell could you possibly say to me that I haven't already heard from hundreds of people? How could you in any way understand what I'm going through when you weren't even there?" she screamed while slicing a hand through the air like a knife. "You just crack jokes at the expense of the dead!"

"What?" Blaise asked slightly thrown off. "What are you talking about? None of us where here when this happened..." he claimed as he pointed to the mass grave with his hand.

"Wow...You really think I'm talking about the Heavenly Horse war?"

"Well you did just mention me cracking the joke about the perished soldiers...Look, I'm sorry, alright? I'm sorry for the joke and I'm sorry for apparently not being there...wherever there is" he replied, throwing Ginny off slightly. But the redhead refitted her small shocked expression and narrowed her brows in anger.

"You're sorry? Do you know how many damn times I have heard someone say they are sorry? Like that word is going to bring back my brother! Like that word is going to bring back any one of these young men who died out here for-for horses?" she yelled in frustration. "You weren't there!"

Blaise paused for a moment as his gaze flitted over the witch's grief-stricken features and he suddenly realized what she meant. Exhaling a deep breath before raising a hand to run over the top of his dark course hair, Blaise clicked his tongue against his cheek and looked down at the ground briefly.

"Red...I-I wasn't apologizing for the loss of your brother, though I am sorry about his death as well. I-I get that I wasn't there," Ginny crossed her arms and raised a brow as she looked confusedly at the wizard before her "and you're not the only one upset at those who ran during the battle. Draco might not always show it, but he's pissed at me for leaving too. I can't say I understand or-or even comprehend what you all had to go through during the war, but no one has really stopped to see things the way I do...the way I did."

"You expect me to empathize over your choices to abandon the people fighting to save our school?"

"No...I simply wish you would look at all sides before judging my decisions. I wasn't for or against either side; therefore, I had no right to fight in a war that had nothing to do with me. At the time, yes, I hated muggles and muggle-born's and I was incredibly vain...well I'm still vain-my point is, I didn't agree with what Voldemort was trying to do. But I also didn't disagree with him. I couldn't fight because I didn't exactly know what I was fighting for...Hell, I barely tolerated Draco and his gang for the longest time."

"You're best friends with Malfoy, Zabini..." Ginny claimed while narrowing her brows in confusion. "And not picking a side just sounds like coward-ness to me! You're a freaking Slytherin for crying out loud!" she spat as she turned on her heel and began walking through the mass of dead bodies; looking for supplies while hoping the argument between her and Blaise didn't intensify. She didn't want to have to hex him because her anger grew out of control.

"I just recently became best friends with Draco after the war ended, when he finally learned to grow up and change" he retorted as he swiftly followed the redhead. "Before that, I was just a friend that observed everything, very carefully, around him. And as for being a coward as you so eloquently put it, you can call it whatever the hell you want, Red," he continued as Ginny picked up broken and torn objects before tossing them back to the ground "but not everything is so black and white" Blaise stated as he grabbed Ginny's arm so she would stop and listen to him. "I didn't belong there and just because I wear Slytherin robes doesn't automatically make me a supporter of that evil bastard!"

"NO!" she snapped, ripping her arm out of Blaise's grasp while throwing a broken spear in her hand to the ground. "It's doesn't automatically make you a supporter of that damn tyrant, it makes you part of a house! A house that is your damn home away from home and connected to Hogwarts! The school that that HIS side invaded," she continued, lowering her voice while trying to hide the sadness creeping up her throat "and-and destroyed. Where he murdered innocent people...classmates you knew, and you...you just ran..." she declared with tense shoulders that slumped in defeat; her eyes began to water as she looked up to the sky and crossed her arms, pressing them close to her body in an effort to keep from succumbing to the storm brewing within her heart.

"My brother died..." she carried on, in a low voice as she flickered her gaze back to the dark-skinned wizard "so you and everyone else in our world could live without fear." She paused for a moment as Blaise stared at her, clearly lost; his mouth slowly opened and closed as he took in her tear-filled eyes brimming with a mixture of grief and rage. "And you couldn't even stay long enough to help protect the one place we all get to call home for seven years."

"Ginny..." the Slytherin began somberly, no longer caring in that moment to call the girl in front of him a silly nickname. "I...I understand your reasoning for being upset. I'm not trying to take that away from you. I regret not being there, not fighting, I really do, but...there isn't anything I can do now to change it. I have to accept that I made the choice that I did, and I alone have to live with it. I am sorry about your brother, Ginny, I...am so sorry...but having me there, fighting for Merlin knows what, wouldn't have changed anything. It wouldn't have prevented Fred from dying and it wouldn't have stopped Voldemort from destroying Hogwarts."

"You don't know that it wouldn't have changed anything..."

"You don't honestly believe that...do you?" he questioned while taking a few steps forward. "Because we both know that I am not as brave as I appear to be. I joke at inappropriate times, I laugh at the misfortunes of others, and I am definitely not a Gryffindor. I'm human, just like you, just like Granger. I make mistakes and I cower when it comes to something as monumental as a war. I'm working on it, but change isn't as easy as people make it out to be. All I can say is I'm sorry. I'm sorry that Fred died and...I'm sorry for not being there."

Blaise took a moment to study the redhead who appeared to have lost the urge to fight back as she looked off to the side and wiped her cheek, removing a single fallen tear. Taking another step closer, to close the gap between the pair, Blaise pulled Ginny into his arms and held her tight as she began to cry into his chest. In that brief period of time, they weren't enemies, they weren't classmates the system tried to pin against one another...They were simply a boy and a girl, supporting each other through the heartache and the pain the world had continued to serve them.

"Whadda say we hurry up and collect a few things so we can go check on Draco. I feel he might need a bit of saving from Granger handing him his arse on a platter" he chuckled slightly after several minutes before he pulled away from the witch and placed his hands in his pockets once more.

"With those two," she sniffed as she used her sleeve to wipe the tears from her face "we might need to save them both from each other" she snickered. "Plus, the sun is setting and it's getting a bit chilly out. We should see if maybe we can find a tent or two and some blankets to help keep us warm. I'm sure someone in this... mess...has something we can use."

The dark-haired wizard nodded his head and began to search the bodies of the deceased as Draco collected wood and some non-perishables from the dead ox. He had also taken a few moments to double check his money pouch and panicked slightly when he saw barely anything in it. Only the Galleons he had won off his friends in the museum, were in the bag. The pouch was charmed to connect to his family vault and he strongly wondered if maybe something had happened during the jumps across time to affect his fortune. Not that he needed the money just yet, but he was extremely concerned...for the future.

By the time Draco had placed his money back into his pocket and walked to where Hermione was setting up camp, fifteen minutes later, she had already placed multiple wards to keep out muggles and wild creatures.

"Getting started without me, I see" he chuckled anxiously while carrying two bundles of wood in his arms and a large dried rice pouch slung over his shoulder.

"Well, we needed to get the wards up as quickly as possible, so I took it upon myself to do it; seeing as you took your sweet time gathering wood" she replied apathetically, miffed that he was even speaking to her after the slight he'd given her earlier.

"Are you going to fight with me the entire time we are stuck here?" he asked in annoyance. "Cause if you are, I'm not interested. We aren't exactly in the best predicament, I get that, but I'm trying here."

"You're trying?" she asked sharply. "Since when do you try to do anything that doesn't akin to your own needs, Malfoy? When have you ever tried to not fight with me over trivial things?"

"I'm trying now! I've been trying all damn day!" he retorted as he dropped the wood in his arms to the ground.

"Oh, so in just one day I'm supposed to believe that you've changed?" she rebutted as she stomped over to the Slytherin and gathered up the few logs she could carry, before storming back to the center of the circle and began setting up a fire. "I told Zabini I would give you a chance to see if you really have grown up, but honestly, I don't think I can keep my word. You're only trying to change for yourself, Malfoy! You're not doing it for me, or for Harry, or for anyone else on your damn list! You are only in it for you!...Incendio!" she finished while standing up and lighting the wood on fire as the sun began to set.

"What the bloody hell are you talking about? Where is this even coming from?" Draco questioned as he took a few steps closer, making Hermione look at him with furrowed brows. "I bicker with you one time today about the stupid history of this place and suddenly you want to bite my head off!"

"Because you always fight with me!" she yelled as the weighted stress of everything began to claw its way out. "I never see you fight with anyone else except me! Like you still think you're better than me!"

"I don't think I'm better than you! Salazar, I've been nothing but nice to you since we got off the damn train at the beginning of the school year, Granger!" he contented as lines formed between his brows. "Yeah, we argue, so what? It's what we do! And for the bloody record, I am changing for me! Because I am tired of the life I hated, I am sick of looking down on people just because their blood is different than mine!

"Is it hard? Fuck yes, but if it means you don't see me as the arrogant stuck-up rich kid, who made your life hell for no reason, then yeah, I will try and change...for me, for you, for Potter, for Red, and for my friends because you all deserve fucking better than that arse I used to be!" he stated vehemently through flared nostrils and narrowed eyes.

"You-"

"Oh, give it a rest already!" he scoffed as he turned away from her before quickly turning back and running his fingers through his blonde hair with a deep sigh. Draco would have given anything in that moment for the argument to stop. He didn't want to fight with Hermione, but she was making it so damn difficult to not defend himself. "You don't like me, I got that! But at least have the common courtesy that I have been giving to you all year, to get to know the real me before you judge me based off of the child I once was!" he snapped while lifting the rice pouch from his shoulder and tossing it to the side; completely overwhelmed by the fight he no longer had in him.

"You really don't get it do you?" she stated calmly as she shook her head in disappointment, realizing yelling wasn't going to solve any of her problems. "I never said I didn't like you, but I can't not judge you for who you once were, Malfoy. I can't just forgive you."

Hermione wished with everything she had, that she could, because she knew he was right. He wasn't the prat she once knew him to be, but there was something preventing her from fulfilling the deed. She didn't actually hate him anymore, but she couldn't get past the aching torment he had inflicted on her over the years. Draco had not done enough changing to prove to her that this was the real him and not just some act to earn the respect of his fellow peers.

"And why the hell not?" he asked throwing his arms in the air in defeat. "I've done everything I was told to do and-and Potter forgave me...why can't you?"

"Godric, Malfoy! That's your problem! You did everything you were told to do. You're still not thinking for yourself!" She raised her voice again without even thinking. "Do you even understand what you have done to me?" she asked as her eyes began to water. "You have made my life so unbearable that there were times I actually wished I was never born. I wished that my life was over so that I didn't have to deal with all the hate you spewed because I was nothing but a 'filthy little Mudblood'. That's all I was to you...that's all I will ever be. You did more to hurt me than Bellatrix did in your manor. The torture she caused me lasted a few hours...the pain you caused...it lasted for a lifetime."

"Granger, I-"

"Just forget it, Malfoy" she waved a hand as she pressed her lips together before shaking her head and scoffed derisively. She turned slightly to look at the roaring fire before taking a seat and bringing her knees up to her chest. Draco watched her, speechless and frozen. He didn't know that what he had done caused her so much misery...or he did know, and just ignored it. But the fact of the matter was, being thrown into the past, the war, and the bullying Draco placed on the brunette for years, sent Hermione' emotions through an upheaval battle, causing her to take her anger out on the one person they both knew could take it.

The curly-haired brunette wiped a stray tear from her cheek as Draco moved to sit down next to her. She then turned her head away from him as he gazed at the mesmerizing flames, unable to think of anything to say...until a single thought came to mind.

"You're not a Mudblood..." he stated softly while turning his gaze to her, but Hermione refused to look at him and he knew it was because she didn't want him to see her as weak; which he couldn't if he tried. Hermione Granger was the strongest person he knew. She handled torment after torment from everyone around her and she still held her head up high. He admired that about her, not that it would ever matter to the bookworm what he thought of her. However, he hoped one day, she would consider being his friend. "You never were and...Granger, I...I really am sorry. There is nothing in this world that I can do or-or say to make it up to you, but I want you to know that I do mean it. And I'm saying it, not because anyone else told me to, or because I am looking for your forgiveness...I'm saying it because...because I owe you at least that much."

The Golden Girl slowly turned her eyes to Draco forcing a heavy sigh to escape his lips.

"You owe me a lot more than just an 'I'm sorry'..." she whispered as she hugged her knees tighter to her chest but felt pleased that the boy next her was showing true kindness for once.

"Yeah...I do. I don't want to make excuses for myself but so many people from my past, our past...all they know a version of me that-that doesn't exist anymore, or at least I wish didn't exist anymore. But there isn't much else I can do about it except show that I'm trying. Though, if you knew my upbringing, and I mean really knew it, then you would understand that I took most, if not all, of my anger out on you. You're different than most girls, Granger; you can take the heat when it comes at you. You're smart, caring, brave...beautiful."

"Beautiful?" she raised a brow in shock as she wondered if what Ginny had told her in the cave was actually true.

"I know" he chuckled gently as he picked up a slab of wood she had dropped and threw it into the fire as darkness began to develop around them "it's not something I say to anyone, let alone you...but it's true. Not even I can deny it. Doesn't mean anything more than that though, so don't let it go to your head!" he chortled.

Hermione tried to fight a smile creeping at the creases of her lips due to Draco's attempt at cheering her up. His small laugh was additive however, and she decided fighting wasn't going to help either of them. So, she gave in and broke her own mold just to feel something relatively happy since they had ended up in the mess they had found themselves in. And it's not like it was necessarily his fault they were stuck in the past; it was a combination of them all.

"You...are terrible at complimenting people" she claimed as her lips turned up slowly into a soft smile. "But thank you...Ferret."

"Hey!" he yelled in offense, hoping his tactic to cheer her up was working.

"I'm just messing with you" she laughed as she jokingly pushed his arm with her hand.

"That was a really traumatizing experience you know!" he retorted with a small chuckle.

"I bet. I know how you feel."

"Thing is though..." Draco continued as he cleared his throat and stretched out his legs. He began playing with the sand in front of him as his lips fell to a frown and he stared at the ground with heartache "no one actually does. I am forever scarred from that day and no one really understood. They just made fun of me while I had horrible nightmares about it. I couldn't tell anyone how dreadful it was because I was afraid of being looked at as weak. My father would have been the worst of them all if he knew how terrified I actually was."

"Malfoy...I...I do know what it's like to be turned into an animal."

"What do you mean?" he questioned as he glanced up at Hermione.

"Second year, long story short, I made Polyjuice potion and accidentally put cat hair in instead of the hair of the person I was trying to turn into."

"Wait...so you turned into a cat?"

"Not fully. More like a human with a cat face" she replied with a shrug.

"Did you have a tail" Draco snickered as he tried to hold back a laugh, causing Hermione to shove him again while chuckling. "Oh, come on; did you at least get a picture of it!"

"Shut-it, you git!" she laughed; finally lifting the weight off her shoulders.

"Oh-ho ho! Little spitfire Princess has been awoken!" he joked as he held his hands in the air in defense.

"I'm not a princess!"

"You're Gryffindor's Princess...And I need a new nickname for you so, I am calling you that from now on. Ah ah," he cut her off as she went to open her mouth to retort "there is no point in fighting it. Just think of it as a term of endearment..."

"Endearment?" she questioned with a tilt of her head as she thought about if he fancied her.

"Not like that! Look, I like you, Granger, but I don't fancy you in that way" he half-lied when he saw the cogs begin to turn in her eyes. It wasn't like he had strong feelings for the bookworm or even wanted to masturbate to the thought of her like other girls he happened to like at the time. However, he did think she was cute, and he was enjoying the first semi-decent conversation they'd ever had; not counting their awkward encounter in the Dino exhibit.

"And just so you know..." he continued "we're gonna fight, or bicker, or argue, or whatever you want to call it because it's what we do. It's practically inevitable because it helps us, or at least helps me" he shrugged. "It gives me a sense of normal, like I used to feel...before the war when you were just a thorn in my side and not someone I was supposed to want to kill. But I don't want to always battle you, Granger...Also, we didn't always bicker because we hated each other. Unless I was missing something?" he smirked. "Because I remember having some really good debates over the years with you. You're the only one who can keep up with me."

"Really?" she asked in disbelief. "There are hundreds of kids at Hogwarts, Malfoy; you mean to tell me that not even a Ravenclaw could outwit you?"

Draco scoffed lightly as he tucked his legs in to sit Indian style before throwing another plank of wood into the fire.

"Ravenclaws are intelligent, I'll give them that...but none could really handle the actual fight, ya know? The intensity needed to give me that-that excitement that comes with a good verbal battle. No one has been able to measure up to you...Princess" he finished as he nudged her shoulder lightly with his.

"Stop calling me that!" she laughed lightly before licking her lips and smiling. "But, if it makes you feel any better, you're the only one who can keep up with me too."

"It does actually, in a way."

"This doesn't make us friends, you know..." she claimed, more as a statement however, than a question. "I still don't trust you nor do I forgive you, but...I am willing to try and get to know you better. Under the circumstance we are in, I don't think I really have much of a choice."

"I can't really ask for much more than that" Draco replied with a half-smile. "I don't really deserve you even speaking to me right now, let alone joking with me. By the way and completely off topic, but...how did you know I had a list? Did Blaise say something to you?" he questioned slightly vexed.

"No" Hermione lied while trying to hide the surprise in her eyes. "No, I-I just assumed you had one."

"Why would you just assume I had one?"

"Because I have a similar one" she admitted truthfully, making Draco raise a brow in confusion. "I know what you're thinking and it's not an 'ask for forgiveness' list...It's a 'forgive' list" she stated while pinching her lips together "and you, Malfoy, are number two."

"Number two?"

"And here I thought we would have to save one or both of you from killing each other" Blaise interrupted causing Hermione to quickly look away from Draco as the dark-skinned wizard and Ginny began walking up to the small fire.

The sun had finally set so it was understandable that the pair talking in front of the fire didn't see their friends approaching. However, Hermione was only slightly grateful for the interruption, due to the bizarreness of how easy she found talking to Draco was, but she also half-wished she had a little more time to speak with the blonde Slytherin...alone.

Ginny set the blankets she was carrying on the ground and took a seat next to Hermione before laying her head on her friends' shoulder. All the while, Draco stared at the brunette witch next to him with a mixture of shock and confusion before turning his soft gaze away and up to his friend.

"Oh no, it's okay, Red. You rest, darling" Blaise sarcastically stated while dropping the portable shelters into the sand. "I'll set up the tents all by myself. I don't need your help or anything."

"That's good, Zabini" she replied with a snicker. "I'm sure if you ask nicely though, Malfoy would love to help you set up."

"Not particularly" Draco muttered before looking around at the three pairs of eyes staring at him. "Okay fine. I'll go help set up the tents" he huffed before standing up and dusting the sand off his trousers. "By the way, ladies, I found some rice and dried jerky meat on that ox, so if we are setting up shelter, the least you could do is cook some food."

Hermione and Ginny's eyes snapped to the blonde Slytherin with scowls stretched over their faces.

"Did you just tell us to cook because we're women?" Ginny sharply questioned.

"What? No!" the blonde Slytherin replied with wide eyes.

"Because women fought for a very long time to not be told what to do by a man; and telling us to cook for you is just low and demeaning to the efforts put forth by our late and great ancestors that went through turmoil, belittled and degraded by everyone around them including their own governments, to fight for our rights all over the world" Ginny continued, making Draco's stunned expression turn to one of fear as he shook his head and stumbled over his words, while Blaise pursed his lips together and looked away.

"I was just-that's not-I meant-it's not like that! I-"

"I'm joking with you, Malfoy" the redhead chuckled as she rolled her eyes and looked at Hermione trying not to laugh at Draco's expense. "Well sort of...Anyway, we'll cook while you guys set up...And just so you know, Blondie, you make it far too easy to mess with you" she finished while shaking her head and standing up to grab the grain pouch off the ground.

Draco clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth to stop himself from saying something he might later regret, before turning around to help Blaise, who clearly wanted nothing to do with that conversation.

After twenty minutes of cooking and charming the temporary shelters in case it rained or a sandstorm brewed out of nowhere, the four Hogwarts students gathered around the fire to eat from the bowls Hermione had transfigured from extra wood.

As the guys helped themselves to a second helping while they laughed and talked, Ginny read the bookworms' history tome as Hermione studied the amulet Draco had to once again give back to her; still unaware that their journey...was far from over.

May 5th, 1999

Hunched over in the center of the Wizarding Entrance Hall, Robert and Elizabeth Granger both released their stomach contents after Molly and Arthur Weasley apparated the pair to the museum. The muggle couple had never traveled in such a way before and was hesitant to begin with after their daughter had told them how nauseating a side-apparition could be. They now completely understood why.

Molly rubbed the back of Mrs. Granger as Arthur vanished away their mess when another sudden pop echoed in the room, forcing four pairs of eyes to turn and see who arrived. Standing poised and proper, Narcissa Malfoy tucked her wand back into her small purse and looked at the group of parents with a magisterial expression. Looking down on the muggles slowly standing up straight with stunned looks, the intimidating witch turned her nose up before scoffing slightly and making her way out the door.

"Who was that?" Mrs. Granger asked as she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand "She seems very-"

"Mean, cross, frightening...corrupt?" Arthur cut in before conjuring a glass of water for the couple and handing it to them. "That...would be Narcissa...Draco Malfoy's mother."

Mr. Granger spat out the water in his mouth as he and his wife looked at the Weasley with wide eyes.

"You mean to tell me that arrogant boy, is in this mess as well?" he asked angrily. "The letter only stated that our daughters are missing, not that that boy is too! Did he kidnap them? Force them to-to disappear with magic?" he demanded in concern.

"That is highly unlikely, Robert" Mrs. Weasley answered sympathetically. "Draco is not his father and he is not the same boy he once was. At least according to Ginny he's changed...Anyway dears, we should get moving, don't want to delay. I would like to find out as much information as possible so we can find our children and bring them home quickly."

"You act like this is normal? Why aren't you angrier about this? Our children are-are lost!" Mr. Granger demanded, quite upset at the predicament they all faced.

"We are dealing with magic, dear" Molly replied while dropping her shoulders. "It's something we are all accustom to. I'm not happy that our children are, Merlin knows where, but we'll find them...It's not like they are lost in time or anything" she smiled softly before ushering the couple out the door.

XX

"Molly, Arthur" Professor McGonagall exclaimed dolefully while walking up to the two sets of parents entering the Ancient Egypt exhibit. "It is so good to see you-and Robert, Elizabeth, it's been too long. I do wish this meeting was on better circumstances but-"

"Mum!" Ron called out, interrupting the Headmistress as he ran full force into his mother open arms. Embracing her son in a tight hug, Molly held Ron as both of their eyes began to water. "She's gone mum, Ginny's gone..." the red-headed wizard sniffled into the crease of his mother's neck, realizing he could only stay strong for so long while held in his mothers' warm hug.

"There, there, Ronald. We'll get to the bottom of this and find her" Molly replied with a nurturing tone. "Oh, Harry dear!" she exclaimed passing her son off to her husband as Harry walked up to the family with bloodshot eyes; evidence he had been crying for the past hour.

Narcissa Malfoy watched in annoyance as the Weasley family embraced the raven-haired boy and scoffed as she crossed her arms.

"Where is my son, Minerva?" she asked impatiently, interrupting the happy moment without a care in the world. "You said he was missing and failed to explain further, in your urgent letter, until we all arrived. Well, we are all here and I would like to know what happened...now."

"I do apologize, Narcissa" McGonagall responded sympathetically, but with enough authority in her voice to show that the one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight could not intimidate her. "But it is imperative that I explain everything as soon as everyone has arrived."

"Everyone?" Elizabeth questioned in confusion. "You mean to tell us that more than three children are missing?"

"Just one more, Elizabeth" McGonagall stated regretfully as the wrinkles in her skin creased with worry.

Narcissa looked around at all the students spread throughout the room and took notice of who apparently was missing from the groups talking among themselves.

"If you are waiting for Ms. Zabini," she began firmly; bringing her attention back to the adults "she won't come."

Everyone's eyes turned to the former Slytherin queen in surprise, except one Theodore Nott who knew exactly what the elder Malfoy meant.

"What do you mean she won't come?" the Headmistress asked with a tilt of her head. "I sent her an emergent Owl explaining that her presence was vital."

"Blaise Zabini has been staying at Malfoy Manor since the war ended" Narcissa began to explain. "That sad excuse for a mother would rather spend her time seeking out where her next husband is going to come from, than paying attention her own son. She puts money in his vault, but that is about as much mothering as that woman does. I have taken it upon myself to care for the boy until he would like to leave."

"Are you serious?" Molly inquired with fire in her voice while her cheeks turned crimson. "How could she do that? He is her child!"

"Trust me, my dear Mother Hen" Narcissa began while uncrossing her arms and entwining her fingers below her snake emblem belt on her evergreen colored dress. "I have asked myself the same question ever since Draco told me. Now" she turned her attention back to the headmistress "I may have only known Blaise as more of a passing acquaintance, but over the last year he has become like a son to me, so I will ask you one more time Minerva...where are my boys?"

"I think you might all want to sit down for this..." McGonagall urged with her hand as she pointed to a table off to her left, cluttered with historical books from around the museum. "This might take a while and the initial shock...might become too great to bear."

As Minerva McGonagall ushered the parents of the missing to the table and began to explain clearly what had happened, Blaise shoved a spoonful of rice into his mouth as he thought about where they were while the crackling of the small fire lit up the groups faces.

"So," he began while trying to keep the food where it belonged "why China?" he asked while waving the spoon in his hand.

"Whadda mean?" Draco questioned as he set his bowl down and dusted off his hands before resting his arm on his now propped up knee.

"Well" the boy swallowed before scrapping the bottom of the bowl with his wooden spoon "think about it. First, we were in the Jurassic era, and then we were teleported to a desert in the middle of China...Why? What is so significant about these two places, that the amulet brought us there...here...whatever?"

"I don't think they are of any real significance" Hermione replied nonchalantly while closely analyzing the crack on amulet in her fingertips.

"I don't understand..." Ginny pipped in as she looked up from the history book with a raised brow. "There has to be some meaning behind it?"

"And I'm sure there is" the brunette answered while staring harder into the crack "but I don't think that this talisman meant to send us to those...these...places" she continued while lowering the necklace and looked up at the three sets of eyes staring at her. "We broke the amulet when we dropped it, which means that however this thing works, and I am only assuming since we're trapped long before anyone we know was born, that it has a time travel spell placed on it. Since it's cracked, it most likely is going to send us all over the place until we can fix it or-or someone back home-"

"Oh, my Gods!" the redhead yelled with her palm flat against her forehead. "Dad! He's going to have a heart attack when he finds out! Oh, Merlin and Mum!"

"At least your parents will care..." Blaise murmured irritably with a shrug whilst thinking no one was listening to him.

"What?" Hermione asked in confusion as she turned her gaze to the wizard sitting opposite the fire.

"Nothing..." Blaise replied while biting his lower lip slightly when he realized everyone had heard him. "Anyway, what about trying a repairing charm?" he suggested as he set his empty bowl down and tried to move on from the topic of mothers while Draco's softened gaze lingered on the Italian.

"I already tried" the bookworm stated as she let the subject go, fully aware Blaise wasn't ready to talk, and looked back down at the pendant. "I tried every spell I know, and nothing works. Though, I swear the crack seems smaller than it did back in the cave and..." Hermione stopped talking for a brief second as she brought the beetle back to her face and peered inside.

"And...?" Draco asked while lifting his hand for Hermione to continue in impatience.

"There's...there's something inside here...a small piece of parchment, I think..." she explained while trying to think of a way to get the object out.

Picking up her wand resting to the right of her, Hermione tried to summon the parchment with little success before Ginny stood up, dusted the sand off her skirt, and walked over to her friend.

"Here, let me see." Ginny reached out her hand for Hermione to pass the necklace to her before slowly examining what Mione was talking about. She's right, there is something inside here..." she stated while trying to squeeze her nail into the thin crack.

However, whatever magic was protecting the amulet and its contents, clearly did not want the redhead to grab it. As soon as Ginny's pinky nail touched the parchment situated inside the scarab, a bright green flash lit up the desert as the amulet literally shocked the Gryffindor's finger, causing her to drop it into the sand in surprise.

She yelped in pain as the light vanished in a matter of seconds while Draco, Blaise, and Hermione stood up quickly and rushed over to her.

"Are you okay?" Hermione asked worriedly as Draco picked up the beetle and looked at it.

Blaise laid a hand on the redheads' shoulder while Hermione examined Ginny's finger for any harmful effects.

"I'm fine" Ginny claimed adamantly while brushing off the hands touching her. "It was just a minor shock, is all. Obviously, that...thing, doesn't want to come out so, we'll just have to find another way."

"That undoubtedly doesn't involve anyone's limbs, maybe?" Draco added as he looked up from the relic. "I think we should just put this away for now and get some rest. It's been a long day for all of us. We can start fresh in the morning and hope this thing doesn't teleport us somewhere else anytime soon...or shock anyone else."

"I think that's a good idea" Hermione readily agreed, throwing the Slytherin Prince off slightly. "It's getting late. It's almost midnight."

"How the hell do you know it's almost midnight?" Blaise asked with narrowed brows.

"Well it's been more than four hours since sundown-"

"Four hours?" the dark-haired Slytherin replied astonished. "What the hell have we been doing for four hours?"

"Cooking...setting up camp..." Ginny replied while raising a brow, confused that Blaise honestly didn't know how much time had passed.

"Plus," the petite witch continued "the moon is almost halfway across the sky. When it reaches halfway, it will be approximately six hours past sundown."

"You can tell the time just by looking at the moon?" Ginny inquired while turning her focus to Hermione.

"They taught us to tell time by looking at the night sky in Astronomy class, Red...second year" Draco answered with a shrug of his shoulders, making Hermione casually look over to him and smile softly. "Anyway," he continued while biting his lower lip nervously "we should head off; try and get as much rest as possible. I will see you ladies hopefully, in the morning" he finished while tossing the amulet in his hand before placing it in his pocket.

Draco nodded his head at girls before lightly smacking Blaise's arm to have him follow him to their small tent. Blaise quickly looked back at Ginny in worry before trailing after his friend, making Hermione question what the two had spoken about when they were alone.

XX

Meanwhile, back in the present, Professor McGonagall was struggling to keep the peace as each of the parents yelled their questions and concerns over one another as her students sat quietly off to the side. She tried to explain the situation the best she could although, she knew this would happen. Not that she blamed anyone in the slightest; it was just hard to manage a screaming match...between adults.

"ENOUGH!" she shouted over the hollering of the room, forcing all eyes to focus on her. "Now," she began as the silence encased the exhibit "I will explain again so that you all understand what has happened and what is going to happen. Your children are lost in time, there is nothing we can do that any of us are aware of, to bring them home, but that doesn't mean we can't still try. Before anything occurs, however, we must first figure out where the amulet has taken them before we can come up with a plan."

"How are we going to find them in time?" Harry asked while sitting in a chair near the Weasley family with his arms resting upon his thighs. "There are literally hundreds of thousands of eras they could be in."

"I think I might have an idea..." Narcissa pipped in while raising a finger in the air. "I have a map..."

"A map?" Luna questioned with a tilt of her head.

"Yes...It's a very special map that I kept well-hidden during the Dark Lords reign so he could not use it or alter it" she took a deep breath and let it out slowly as she struggled to reveal her most secret possession. "I haven't had time to look at it yet because I rushed over here as soon as I received Minerva's Owl, but...."

"Wait," Harry held up a hand to stop the elder Malfoy "are you trying to say you-you have a tracking map? Like the Marauder's map?"

"Yes and no, Potter. However, think...bigger."

"Bigger?" Ron asked with a raised brow as he stood next to his father with his hands in his pockets.

"Bigger than Hogwarts?" Neville chimed in as he too looked at the witch perplexed.

"The world..." Pansy answered nonchalantly with her head resting in her hand and her elbow on the table. "She has a world map that can track people...right Mrs. Malfoy?"

"That...is correct, Ms. Parkinson" Narcissa replied while biting her lip nervously. "However, it was given to me by my great-grandmother; an heirloom, that was charmed by a Black well before her time, and initially used to prove tracked bloodlines around the world in the fifteen and sixteen hundred's. I think...I can alter it just enough that it can track our children in any given year."

"So, what you're telling us" Molly began with hope in her eyes "is that you can find my baby...wherever she may be?"

"Yes" Narcissa answered with a small smile. "But, the map is at the manor and once it's modified, it will require a drop of blood from either the person being tracked or the closest living relative. A mother...would work the best."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Molly exclaimed while clapping her hands together and resting her lips against her fingers as she held back happy tears.

Narcissa, Harry, and Ron both looked anxiously at the elder Weasley before looking to the Granger's with concern.

"Mrs. Weasley," the Malfoy witch questioned sympathetically "would you mind if I speak to you and your husband alone for a moment?"

Both Molly and Arthur raised a brow in confusion but nodded their heads and started to follow the former Slytherin Queen out of the exhibit before Mrs. Granger stopped them.

"Wait...what's wrong?" Elizabeth asked with worry in her voice while resting hand on the shirt of her husbands' chest. "Why is everyone looking at us strangely?"

"If this is about the torture our daughter experienced in that house," Robert added with sorrow filled eyes and gripping his wife closer to his body "Hermione already told us about it when she brought back our memories."

"She-she told you...what happened?" Narcissa expressed with a hand clasped against her chest.

"Yes" Elizabeth answered softly. "But she told us that you and your son couldn't do anything to help her or your family would be killed. It took us awhile to come to terms with it all, but we now understand why you did what you did. We don't blame you for not helping her...and we are more than willing to do what we have to, to find our daughter."

"And if that means entering that-that manor..." Robert continued "then we will...Whatever it takes."

"Al-Alright then..." Narcissa stated while taking a deep breath. "To Malfoy Manor it is then."

"Good" Bethany stated with her hands crossed in front of her, "because the museum is closing in thirty minutes and I have to figure out how to clean up the rest of this mess before it opens again in the morning. You all are more than welcome to come back tomorrow and search the basement for any books you might need. You may also borrow some of the books you have already searched through, but the museum will need them back by the end of the week. We have a fundraiser on Sunday and the tomes will need to be on display."

"Oh, we won't be needing your books..." Narcissa spoke up firmly, her air of aristocracy was potent with each word she spoke, but when everyone looked at her with sour expressions, she released a sigh and explained. "I don't mean to sound disrespectful, it's just that the Malfoy library holds tomes far older than the ones this place holds and far darker. Whatever spell or spells, placed on the amulet that threw my boys and your daughters" she pointed to the Weasleys and Grangers with her hand "through time, we are more likely to find the counter curse there rather than here."

"Very well" Minerva stated with her head held high. "To Malfoy Manor..."

Morning- Autumn of 102 BC

Hermione's eyes popped open as she jolted awake and beads of sweat peppered the soft skin of her forehead. Her breath was heavy, and momentarily, she forgot where she was as the nightmare of Hogwarts in ruins, plagued her mind. Quickly throwing off the heavy blanket resting on top of her, causing her to sweat even more in the desert heat, Hermione looked off to her left and noticed Ginny's side was empty. The sound of indistinct chatter began to fill the tent as she tried her best to wash the nightmare from her mind.

Realizing the chatter was her friend talking and laughing with Blaise and Draco, she groaned in frustration when she concluded that she was the last one to awaken. Hermione was used to being the first one up throughout the years, always forcing Harry and Ron to wake on time for breakfast, but exhaustion had apparently hit her harder than she thought.

Laying back down with a sigh, she tried to think about when she fell asleep after she and Ginny had cuddled together with multiple shared blankets to keep warm rather than the memories of broken and mangled bodies that laid only a few hundred feet from their shelter. However, when the sun began to rise, the temperature of the small cloth tent became unbearable, making her believe she had only obtained a few minuscule hours of sleep.

Sitting up, she fixed her disheveled clothes before charming the mess on her head into a manageable braid. She was just about to exit the shelter when she finally focused on the conversation that was occurring.

"Is she still sleeping?" Blaise chuckled as he finished off his rice breakfast.

"Maybe I should wake her?" Ginny replied while looking towards the tent that was situated next to where the boys' had been before they'd packed it away.

"Let her sleep" Draco cut in as he took another bit of his rice. "She had a worse day yesterday than all of us I think" he uttered but refused to admit how he had heard the small sobs of the brunette witch in the middle of night. He was still unsure how the redhead could sleep through the muffled cries of torment her friend had been experiencing.

"Says the guy who was also chased by a dinosaur and had a mental breakdown afterwards" Blaise chuckled again causing Ginny to smack him in the arm. "Ow! Don't hit me! I was just being honest!"

"Do you ever know when to just shut-it, Zabini?" the redhead exclaimed with a shake of her head.

"It's fine, Red" Draco claimed while finishing off his breakfast. "You get used to the annoying sound of his voice after a while" he smirked while biting back a small laugh.

"Piss off, git!" the dark-skinned wizard retorted with a scowl. "Not like yours is any better!"

"You lot are so loud" Hermione exclaimed in a teasing manner as she smiled while stepping out of the tent. Not that she'd admit it aloud, but she was happier to see the three of them in that moment than she ever thought possible. Their white button-up shirts were all half untucked while their ties hung loosely around their necks. Ginny's long red hair was tied up in a neat ponytail while Draco's was left messy, giving him a bad boy look that most girls would swoon over.

"Mione!" Ginny yelled in excitement as she stood up and grabbed her friend's empty bowl. "You're awake! Sleep alright, did you? We found some more grains while you were out and some really flat bread. Tastes alright, so..." she rattled on while filling the bowl with cooked rice from the transfigured pot resting over a newly lit fire, before handing it to Hermione with a large smile.

"Thank you" the brunette replied with a confused smile. "Why are you so cheerful this morning? We are still in a desert, if you haven't noticed?"

"Oh, she noticed alright" Blaise laughed. "Had a right fit this morning about how hot it was."

"So, did you..." Draco added with narrow brows.

"Ignore them" Ginny pipped up. "I am just happy we weren't thrown through time in our sleep, is all."

"Ah..." Hermione answered before beginning to eat the rice. "So, where's your tent?" she asked after swallowing a large bite.

"We packed it up" Draco responded without looking at the bookworm and began to draw in the sand with his wand.

"Hope you don't mind," Blaise stated while kicking sand into the fire to put it out "but Red put it in your bag for us."

"I don't mind," she answered while continuing to eat "but why pack it up at all?"

Ginny smiled widely while pulling out her wand and shrunk the tent before placing it into the handbag along with the rest of the items they had found.

"We want to try and get out of the desert" Blaise claimed while putting his hands in his pockets. "Hopefully find somewhere with less sand..." he shrugged.

Hermione was about to open her mouth to reply when she noticed Draco's pocket begin to glow green. Setting her bowl down she walked up to the sitting Slytherin without warning or permission and began to dig in his pocket.

"Whoa! What the bloody hell do you think you're doing, Granger?" he shrieked in surprise while trying to remove the bookworms' hands from his person.

"Stop!" Hermione yelled while pulling out the amulet burning a bright emerald green. "Oh no..."

"Oh shite!" Draco declared while looking wide eye at the beetle in Hermione's hand.

"Ahhh, not again?" Blaise sulked as a loud piercing sound reverberated from the gold scarab, making everyone except the brunette cover their ears.

Hermione quickly tossed the amulet as far away from them as she could, but right before the necklace hit the soft ground, a bright light burst from the relic causing the group to once again be thrown backwards. No one could see a thing as a sandstorm caused by the massive blast covered their eyes, however, they could all feel the pull of the magic sucking them into another endless vortex.


	4. Forbidden Fruit

Chapter 4- Forbidden Fruit

Spring of 44 BC

Slamming hard onto a stone surface, the four students gasped in pain as they rolled on the floor in extreme discomfort. Finally managing to get the aching feeling to subside after a minute of them groaning, Ginny struggled to stand up before looking around at the small room they had landed in.

"Now where the hell are we?" she asked while looking around at the multi-colored drapes dangling across the ceiling before her eyes landed on a semi-comfortable looking bed. "Oh, a bed...Finally!" she exclaimed happily while throwing herself backwards onto the full-size straw filled mattress, littered with decorative over used pillows. "I could sleep here for days..." she sighed with a giggle. "Wait...no" she claimed, propping her upper body up on her elbows as she scrunched her nose in disgust. "This thing smells something fierce and I think it has hay in it...I guess my body is more worn than I thought if I find this comfortable right now."

Hermione scanned the room, along with Blaise and Draco, but only she studied the tiny details of chamber the boys overlooked. As Draco picked up a small dirty off-white piece of fabric and Blaise held up a phallic shaped stone, she took note of the wine and oils sitting upon a small table near the wooden door to her right. The odor lingering in the air reeked of soot and sweat as the ventilation in the room was scarce and only two small oil lamps lit up the area.

"Gin...Get off the bed" she ordered while staring hard at the object in Blaise's hand, hoping it wasn't what she thought it was.

"What? Why?" Ginny replied confused. "It may smell a little funky, but I live with a bunch of boys. I'm used to it."

"Ginny, please...get off the bed" she pleaded while walking over to Blaise and smacking the stone out of his hand.

"What the hell?" he inquired with furrow brows as the stone crash to the floor. "What has gotten into you, Granger?"

"This is a high-end brothel!" Hermione replied before looking to Draco still holding the fabric in his hand. Draco's eyes slowly grew wide as his jaw clenched and he dropped the cloth onto the floor. He quickly wiped his hands on his trousers to try and remove the filth from his skin while Blaise stared at his hands appalled.

Ginny immediately jumped off the bed and shuddered as Blaise's face contorted like he was about to be sick. Hermione rushed to the tiny window behind her, which was too high to view out of normally, stepped on a small stool in front of it, and looked out to witness a massive city lit up by a blistering sun.

"Oh, my Merlin..." she expressed with a gasp as she studied the busy people walking around below.

"What? What is it?" Blaise asked while Ginny and Draco scourgified themselves clean.

But before Hermione could answer, the wooden door burst open revealing a middle-aged overweight woman looking down at the silk blanket in her hands. The group froze in fear as the woman slowly lifted her head and cried out in a panic when she saw the four students staring back at her in shock. Hermione slowly stepped off the stool as Ginny backed up to stand next to her.

"POIOS EISAI? TI EINAI EDO?" she began to yell, causing everyone's eyes to widen in confusion as the lady shouted in a language they couldn't understand. "APANTISE MOU! POIOS EISAI?"

"What the bloody hell is she saying?" Ginny questioned as the woman stormed up to Draco, still shouting while pointing a finger at him as if she was scolding a child.

"I have no fucking idea! Someone, get this bloody woman away from me!" Draco yelled with his hands raised up as he tried to back away. The woman cornered him against the wall as she continued to scream, before Ginny raised her wand, and temporarily stunned her with a full body-binding curse.

Everyone went quiet when the woman crashed to the floor with a hard thud and Draco exhaled quickly in relief after getting his breathing under control.

"Thanks..." he uttered as his eyes flicked to Ginny in gratitude.

"Don't mention it" the redhead answered as she stepped up to the woman laying frozen on the ground and studied her. "Who is she?"

"Better question," Hermione began as she too gazed at the woman confused "what language was she speaking?"

"Greek...I think..." Blaise responded, causing everyone's eyes to snap to him as he inspected the woman on the floor. He lifted his gaze to his peers staring at him and shrugged his shoulders before pulling out his wand and cleansing his hands. "I've traveled the world while my mother searched for a new husband almost every year. I learned the sound of different dialects, but never studied them long enough to understand or speak a different language other than Italian."

"H-how did you ever translate anything then?" the bookworm asked with a raised brow.

"Language spell..." he answered while flicking his wand back and forth in his fingers. "Came in handy quite a few times in Russia."

"I can speak French..." Draco mumbled as if mentioning he actually took the time to learn a language, would cause anyone in the room to ask him about it in interest. But it seemed as though no one was paying attention and he sighed heavily before crossing his arms in defeat.

"Language spell? But there's no such thing?" the brunette said with a shake of her head.

"That you know of" the wizard stated with another shrug. "I made it myself four years ago. Wasn't hard actually, it helped me understand what others were saying and even though it sounds like I was speaking English to them, they only heard me speaking whatever dialect they spoke."

"Huh..." Hermione stated with an unseeing stare, clearly impressed with Blaise's ability to create his own spells when he was just a fourth year. "So...how long does it work?" she asked looking back up to him.

"An hour, at most...Why?" he inquired before understanding what the bookworm was trying to say. "You want to use it here, don't you? Well I don't mind teaching it to you, but again, it only works for an hour, and the incantation is in Latin."

"We are all ears, Zabini" Ginny claimed with a wave of her hand. "It seems we are going to need a charm like that right about now."

"Okay, well...you have to hold your wand to your temple, think of the language you want to hear and speak, and say 'Audi lingua'. It means 'listen to the language'. It might take a few tries to perfect, but it shouldn't take more than three."

The group did as they were told and practiced a few times before discussing their next step.

"Alright, we haven't actually figured out where we are yet" Hermione stated soundly "so, before we do anything and the spell on this woman wears off, we need to blend in. There's a whole city out there filled with people dressed like-like it's ancient times or something."

Blaise raised a brow in confusion before walking over to the window, stepping up on the stool Hermione used only minutes before, and peeked outside before hopping off.

"Rome" he stated flatly with a deep sigh. "Sometime well before 70 AD. The Colosseum hasn't been built yet." He then walked over to the woman lying on the floor, bent down, and picked up a small brown sack off her sash. Opening the bag, he pulled out a silver coin, and studied it carefully. "Ah, Caesar..."

"Who?" both Ginny and Draco asked at the same time.

"Julius Caesar..." he answered with narrow brows while standing up. "The Roman dictator, military general, politician..." he listed, but when the pair looked at him with pursed lips, he shook his head and chuckled. "He played a very critical role in the events that lead to the rise of the Roman Empire and the demise of the Roman Republic...Not ringing any bells? Nothing?"

"Sort of..." Ginny replied, thinking hard on what she had learned in Muggle Studies.

"In other words, he was a Dictator" Hermione added. "He spoke both Latin and Greek and was a very powerful man until his assassination in 44 BC."

"Ohhh! Him!" the red-head perked with a slight bounce.

"So, we're in Rome during this...Caesar blokes reign?" Draco questioned with a crease etched in his forehead. "And to top it all off we are in a high-end brothel, where who knows how many whores had sex in here, and a crazy lady just attacked me...Does that about cover it?"

"Pretty much, yeah" the brunette shrugged. "So, that makes this crazy lady the Madam or manager, of this place."

"How do you even know this is a high-end brothel, Mione?" Ginny asked while looking around the colorful room.

"The beds aren't made of stone and there is a lot of décor for a place like this. Which means only the rich, who don't already own slaves or don't want to use their own, rent from here."

"Slaves?" Ginny whispered in shock. "That's...that's barbaric!"

"That's Rome" Hermione answered with sorrow in her voice. "Anyway, we need to come up with a story. We don't know anything about this city and have nowhere to go, let alone any money."

"I can change our outfits to fit the time period..." the red-headed witch suggested. "I've become quite good at altering my own outfits over the years. I just need a reference to copy."

Ginny walked to the window and looked outside to study the clothing of the people when the woman on the ground began to stir as the spell holding her, released on its own. Draco quickly brought out his wand, pointed the wood at the woman, and altered her memories to the first thing that popped into his mind.

"What...did you do?" Hermione asked while staring at the blonde with wide eyes and a slacked jaw.

"I-I...Don't be mad..." he answered slightly panicked as the woman groaned while sitting up and grasping her forehead with her fingertips.

"What happened?" she asked as she glanced over to Hermione and Ginny. "You!" her voice boomed. "Why are you not dressed?"

"Dressed?" Ginny's face turned to one of confusion as Hermione looked back to Draco with a scowl, knowing full well what he just did.

"Well at least we know the language...thing...worked" he nervously chuckled while rubbing the back of his neck as he tried to deflect the situation he knew, was bound to have an adverse effect for him.

"What is this? What are these clothes you wear?" the woman continued while looking around at the students standing in her bordello wearing foreign clothing she had never seen before in her life. "Never you mind" she continued with a dismissive hand wave while trying to stand. "You grab cloths from downstairs, and you dress for game soon."

"Game? What game?" Hermione asked with a slight shake of her head.

"Oh, shite..." Blaise spoke allowed to himself.

"The senators gladiatorial sport, of course!" Hermione's eyes widen when the 'game' clicked in her mind and went to say something when the nameless woman turned her gaze to Draco and Blaise before tilting her head in confusion. "Who are you? What are you doing here? I do not know of you..." she questioned while looking the boys up and down.

"They uh, they-they are hear for us...Madam..." the bookworm quickly spoke when she noticed Draco's Dark Mark was visible with his rolled-up sleeve. Moving over to stand in front of the blonde Slytherin, Hermione lifted her arm and began to caress his cheek with her fingertips, making his eyes go shockingly wide.

"Wh-what-uh, what are you doing?" he inquired with a large gulp as his body went ridged and her fingers gently drifted down to his chest. When she smiled softly as she flirted heavily, his dick suddenly began to grow hard. However, as soon as his lips parted while he thought strongly about kissing the witch before him, Hermione grew scandalously closer to his mouth. But she quickly threw the Slytherin off as she gripped his tie and yanked his face passed hers. Bringing her lips close to his ear, the brunette whispered through clenched teeth so that no one else could hear.

"Remember when I said I wouldn't hit you in the museum? Well I am about to take it back and punch you in the face, you slimy git!" she stated sharply while pulling the sleeve of his left arm down. Whipping her body around as Draco stood stunned and the color began to drain from his already pale face, Hermione grinned from ear to ear while holding his tie over her shoulder. "I want this one!" she expressed cheerfully.

Both Ginny and Blaise stared with a mixture of shock and confusion as the woman glared strangely at the duo; obviously thinking hard about something.

"They too early; they come back another time and pay first! You come back later!" she yelled while shoving Hermione out of the way and started shooing the boys out of the room as they looked helplessly back at the girls.

"What...the fuck...just happened?" Ginny questioned curiously before her fixed gaze turned off the now closed door, and to her friend standing with her fist clenched tightly in anger.

"Draco-bloody-Malfoy just happened..."

XX

May 5th, 1999

"I'm confused..." Robert claimed in shock as he and his wife stared in awe at the front gate of Malfoy Manor. "You're telling us...that you-you live here?"

"That is correct, Mr. Granger" Narcissa smiled as she looked up at her home.

"It's...massive" Elizabeth added in absolute awe.

Malfoy Manor over the year, had lost the dark ominous shadows looming over the mansion leaving it bright and welcoming; the way it should have looked when the Malfoy's moved in after Lucius and Narcissa had been married. The setting sky twinkled brilliantly over the castle size Manor as the suns' beams radiated off the stone texture and vines growing carefree up the walls.

"It is. The property was given to us after Lucius's father had passed and has been an heirloom of sorts, since the eleventh century" the elder Malfoy continued as the large group filled with adults and students followed her down the long narrow path leading up to the tall double doors.

"That long? Fascinating..." Robert exclaimed, enamored by the architecture.

"Would be, if the last time Harry and I were here, we weren't being dragged by a bunch of snatchers, leading up to us being locked in the dungeon while Mione was tortured by this woman's sadistic sister..." Ron claimed callously with a scoff, making everyone stop walking and turn to him in shock.

"Seriously, Ronald?" Molly scolded in disappointment. "Have some tact!"

"It's quite alright, Mrs. Weasley. He has every right to be upset" Narcissa sighed while folding her hands neatly in front of her. "This home was not always so dark, but during that time, I had no control over what happened here. My husband let the Dark Lord take over and I was helpless to stop it. I could do nothing but watch as myself and Draco witnessed the torment that occurred during your...stay. I never wanted any of that to happen...I am truly...sorry."

Everyone except the Grangers, who gazed on in confusion, looked at Narcissa in bewilderment. Never in the history that anyone had ever known the woman, had she ever apologized to anyone except her family and Voldemort. The Malfoy's were not known for warmth or friendliness, let alone to show remorse and regret. But there she was, standing in front of all the people she and her family have ever hurt, apologizing for a past deed she knew was reprehensible.

Without uttering another word, Narcissa bowed her head, turned around, and continued walking towards the front entrance of her home. The large group stared in surprise before Harry smacked Ron upside the skull and shook his head; upset with his friend and his big mouth.

As the band of witches, wizards, and muggles carried on down the path, the former Slytherin Queen opened the grand doors of the manor and stepped into the brightly lit Foyer with a high canopy, taller than a two-story building. The Foyer was repainted white with gold trim and held a massive gold chandelier in the center of the dome ceiling, flickering with a hundred burning candles to light up the room.

The polished white marble floor shined in the luminous light as two grand eighteenth century ivory masonry staircases rested on either wall. A tall pillar of Arum-lilies laid at the base of both stairwells while a large glass table settled between the steps with a gold snake statue centered in the middle.

Behind the table was a living room that could be seen through a wide archway with an awe-inspiring fireplace big enough to fit twenty people inside. Even Ron couldn't hide his astonishment as everyone looked around the Foyer in adoration as the mansion looked nothing like what Harry and he were used to seeing. The last time had they stepped foot into the Foyer, it had been greyed out and sinister looking. Now it stood vivid and encouraging, welcoming even, compared to the damp and wicked demeanor it once held.

"Are-are we sure we are in the right Manor?" Ron questioned, still stunned by the beauty he was experiencing.

"Welcome to the new and improved Malfoy Manor" Narcissa gleamed proudly. "It took us months to complete but it was most certainly worth it in the end. I wanted to modify everything to be what a home should look like. Draco and Blaise helped out a lot over the summer and once they returned to Hogwarts, I finished everything on my own...well, with a little assistance from the house elves, that is."

"This is remarkable..." Arthur exclaimed in shock as he studied a muggle painting hanging on the wall to the right of the entrance.

"Ah" Narcissa stated while walking over to the Head of Weasley House. "That is what muggles call 'The Persistence of Memory' a painting by Salvador Dali in 1931. I personally saw to the purchase of it from America."

"What do all the melting clocks represent?" Harry inquired as he, Luna, and Neville walked over to the painting.

"Well...it could mean a number of different things to many different people. I, myself, think he gained influence from the dream theory, in which the unconscious may be accessed through dreams in which time works in all direction. Although, others have attributed it to a chance sighting of a melting over-mature camembert...In other words, the artist was simply just playing with time."

"Doesn't that fit accurately with what we are dealing with now" Ron scoffed as he crossed his arms. "Can we get to this map now, please? I would very much like to find my sister."

"Of course, follow me" Narcissa said gently before making her way up the stairs. "Now I know it's late," she continued as she and the group traveled down a long corridor "so you all are more than welcome to stay in the guest wing just off to the East of the library, for as long as you wish. There are plenty of bedrooms to go around and I will see to it that Valky, one of our house elves, contacts the parents or guardians, of those staying. Piskey our cleaner elf, will also collect any clothing or other necessities you might need from your homes and Keesy, will make you anything you desire to eat in the kitchens. I feel this is going to take a long while so, for the time being...my home is your home."

"Thank you, Mrs. Malfoy" Elizabeth said softly as she clung to her husbands' arm.

"Please...call me Narcissa. And it's the least I could do after everything my family has put everyone through. Now if you could all follow me this way, the library is just around the corner."

Spring of 44 BC

Draco and Blaise stumbled out the bordello after the owner pushed them through the door, into the chaos of the busy city. They looked around and took note of all the people staring oddly at them, before realizing they were still wearing their school uniforms. Glancing up at each other in fear, they quickly stole some colored cloths off a station in the bazaar, but unfortunately, they were not quick enough with their larceny.

"HEY! I SAW THAT! YOU GET BACK HERE RIGHT NOW! YOU HAVE TO PAY FOR THOSE! THEIEVES, THEIEVES!" the owner of the station screamed while pointing a finger at the boys hastily walking away.

Draco quickly pulled out his wand as the pair covered themselves with the tunics and stealthily aimed it at the man yelling behind him. Whispering the jelly-leg jinx, the man collapsed to the ground in sheer shock while a crowd began to form around him trying to help him stand. The blonde quickly pushed his friend forward as they walked aimlessly down the dusty street until they came upon a few guards wondering what all the commotion was about.

Blaise pulled Draco by his arm, dragged him into a small building, and hid behind the wall closest to the door just as the guards rushed past in hurry. Both boys breathed a sigh in relief when the coast was clear and snuck out of the hut when the crowd's attention was on the merchant who couldn't stand.

"That was close" Blaise stated while they both swiftly walked away from the scene they had caused. "Too close. We need to get back to the girls and get out of here, mate. Things could get bad here real fast."

"That woman mentioned something about a game. Maybe we can intercept them wherever it's being held and sneak out?" Draco replied while looking around to make sure no one was following them because he knew it was only a matter of time before the man told the guards a detailed description of what they looked like.

"Maybe" Blaise shrugged as he too glanced around as they made their way towards a large stone column wall surrounding a huge structure. "But Draco, we can't just walk into an arena dressed like this. We need to blend in; we need something discrete but high enough in rank, to walk in without an invitation."

"Would that work?" he asked pointing to two off duty sleeping guards that looked to be around their build and age, resting in front of one of the columns.

"I guess-Oh, shite!" Blaise expelled as he looked up at the wall in disappointment.

"What? What is it?"

"Mate...we need to get the girls out of the situation you put them in, and fast."

"Why? What's wrong?"

"This is the Theatre of Pompey..." he replied while softening his shoulders.

"So?"

"Draco...if I'm correct, and I hope to Salazar I'm not, then today is March 15th, 44 BC...the day Julius Caesar is assassinated."

"How do you know so much about this Caesar bloke? Or-or that today is the day he gets murdered?" Draco questioned with a raised brow, while praying hard that Blaise was wrong about everything.

"I told you, I traveled a lot. I might not have taken Muggle studies, but Rome is my mother's favorite place to look for a husband willing to fall for the fraud she is. I spent a lot of time growing up here and that Senate game, isn't a game at all; it's a staged sport, conspired to get Julius to the Theatre by the men who will literally stab him to death."

"Shite! Fuck...Okay..." the blonde Slytherin sucked in a deep breath before looking back to the sleeping guards and formulated a plan in his head "We can either go back and hope Granger and Red are still there and get them out or...or we steal these soldiers' armor and sneak in before all hell breaks loose and grab the girls."

"We can't go back there. That merchant is sure to point us out and if we apparate, we'll end up back in the room. And even if the girls are still there, we won't be able to leave without being swarmed or they search the brothel. Worse case the girls aren't there, and we screw ourselves more by not being able to leave, and they're stuck in the Theatre during that chaos. I don't think we have much of a choice but to steal the armor."

"Then let's do it quickly before we're found out..."

Blaise nodded his head as he discretely brought out his wand and covered his head with tunic. Draco followed his lead and they slowly walked up and around the back of the sleeping soldiers before stunning both men and covertly dragging them into a cove.

XX

"Shite!" Hermione yelled as she looked around the floor of the bordello in a panic. "Gin, the amulet! I don't have it!"

"What? Where is it?" she exclaimed with worry.

"If I knew I wouldn't be freaking out right now! Help me find it!"

"You threw it in the sand, Mione, for all we know it's not even in here!"

"Ginny, please...help me look!" she pleaded as she got down on her knees to look under the bed. Ginny quickly began scouring the room when Hermione spotted something shinny near the back corner. Standing up, she rushed over to the right side of the straw mattress and looked under the small table. Spotting the amulet on the ground, she breathed a sigh of relief, and reached for it right when the door to the chamber opened.

"Here, you dress in these to serve the Senate" the over-weight owner claimed while throwing pale fabric at Ginny, who looked down at the garments with wide eyes. "Be ready in ten minutes!" she finished firmly before walking out of the room swiftly.

Hermione stood up and walked over to her red-headed friend as she tucked the amulet into her beaded bag. Ginny opened the cloth material and when she saw how skimpy the outfits were, her jaw dropped in antipathy.

"We have to wear this?" she asked while handing the bookworm her own ensemble. "There's like nothing here!"

"At least there's a top. Almost all lower-end slaves had to serve in either nothing at all or just a skirt..."

"Mione, I don't feel comfortable with this in the slightest."

"We don't have much of a choice, Gin. We have to blend in."

"I'm going to kill Malfoy next time I see him! Mark my words, Hermione, I swear he's a dead man!" she stated angrily as she lowered the cloth in her hands and scowled.

As the girls clumsily dressed, Ginny mutter obscenities the entire time as Hermione shrunk and hid her beaded bag in her roped belt, making it look like it was part of the material. Their outfits were simple; a long skirt with rope ties that fastened at the waist, leaving a long slit from their hip to their ankle. Thankfully the matron provided them with matching bindings which they wrapped snugly around their breasts and tucked between their cleavage to give them some semblance of modesty, while leaving very little to the imagination.

"I wish my stomach was at least covered..." Ginny said as she held her hands over her mid-section. This thing is so revealing, Mione, you can almost see my nipples through this fabric! If a breeze hits me, then everyone is going ogle and-"

"We'll be fine" the brunette interrupted as she charmed her hair into a half-up style before walking over to the redhead to do the same with hers; making both girls look more Roman before tucking her wand deep into her tight curls. "We just have to get through this, find the guys, and hope the amulet takes us to a different era before someone tries to buy us."

"BUY US?"

"Are you ready?" the owner asked as she burst back into the room, out of breath, and with a sour expression; proof she hated using the stairs. But she stopped suddenly and stared at the Gryffindors in curiosity; confused as to when they had time to put bouncing curls into their wavy and pin straight hair.

"Yes" Hermione answered quickly, forcing the woman to pull back from her insane thoughts before turning out of the chamber.

"Not like I have a choice" Ginny grumbled under her breath as she adjusted the holster holding her wand on her leg, before following her friend out the door with a hatred filled clenched jaw. "He is so dead..."

XX

"This shite is so hot!" Blaise proclaimed while adjusting the scarf around his neck to protect from chafing. "How the bloody hell do these muggles wear this shite all day?"

"Use a cooling charm, Blaise" Draco retorted with a roll of his eyes as they dressed in the hidden cove behind a large pillar.

Blaise sighed as he brought out his wand and cooled his body before tucking the wood back into his belt.

The armor they stole from the now unconscious sentry, consisted of broad ferrous strips fastened to internal leather straps. The strips were arranged horizontally on their bodies, overlapping downwards, and surrounded their torsos in two halves. It was then fastened at the front and back by brass hooks, which were joined by leather laces.

Their upper bodies were protected by additional shoulder guards, breast and backplates, while their lower halves were covered with a skirt of leather wrapped around their waists, fitted with small metal studs. The woolen trousers added to the heat they experienced making them both regret their decision to dawn the sheaths in the first place. Luckily though, the cooling charm kept them from sweating their skin off and made the armor more bearable to wear.

The boys quickly put on the stolen leather boots, that had to be laced up the center of their feet and onto the top of their ankles, while iron hobnails studded the soles for added strength. Shaking their heads, Draco shrunk their clothes to fit neatly into their armor before hiding his wand in his belt and bent down to pick up two swords and the matching helmets.

Handing Blaise the items, Draco placed the helmet on his head as his lip turned up in disgust.

"Can you imagine how much sweat is in these things?" he questioned, more to himself than to his dark-skinned friend.

"We aren't going into battle, mate, you don't have to wear the thing. You hold it at your side when it's not in use."

"Oh, thank Merlin!" he exhaled sharply while promptly removing the brass helmet that made it difficult to see anyway.

"Wait, Draco...before we leave you have to cover that!"

Draco looked down at this forearm where his faded Dark Mark laid and rolled his eyes from the inconvenience it has caused him since he received the damn thing. Tucking the sword into the holster, he pulled his wand back out, and quickly placed a concealing charm over the scar. He then took a deep breath before covering the men with the tunics they'd filched and began walking off towards the entrance of the Theatre.

May 5th, 1999

Harry stepped into the Malfoy Library with large stunned eyes and a loosened jaw, though he questioned why anything the Malfoy's owned, surprised him anymore. The large depository of books looked more like something out of a museum than a home study mixed with a library, and it seemed the Hogwarts library, had nothing on the esteemed one he was now present in.

The vaulted ceiling stood over fifty feet in the air, housing three dark grey iron chandeliers evenly spread across the room. A second story could be seen wrapped around the room with steel grey spiral staircases in every corner while floor to ceiling windows, that allowed the suns setting rays to filter through, filled the wall off to the left. A matching Victorian banister blocked off the upper level from the rest of the chamber, as large matching columns, sheathed with marble snakes, sat perfectly spaced on either side of the room. Between each column were small sections, almost the size of a normal guest bedrooms filled with bookcases and glass paneled doors.

In the center of the room was a mammoth sized iron colored area rug with two angled wooden desks and multiple leather armchairs, giving everyone enough space to work without the feeling of being cramped. Just beyond the study space, was a large stage with two wide steps leading up to the platform, encased with an archway. On the back wall of the stage hung the Malfoy family tapestry stretching from corner to corner with a white grand piano sitting peacefully off to the left of it.

As the raven-haired boy stared in awe, Ron was busy swatting at an index card with a feathered quill floating around his head.

"What the hell is this thing?" he yelled in annoyance.

"Language, Mr. Weasley" McGonagall sternly spoke. "And please stop swatting at the archive recorder. It hasn't done anything to harm you."

"A what?" he questioned confused.

"An archive recorder," Luna chirped happily while admiring a stack of books with a charmed quill writing down notes with Neville, "it records what you want to search for so it can summon it without you having to hunt for hours" she smiled widely. "Usually it has a rack that accompanies it if your request is large-ah there's one!" she pipped while pointing to a book rack with wheels hiding in one of the nooks three columns down.

"That one has always been slightly nervous around large groups. I haven't the slightest idea why..." Narcissa explained with a tilt of her head. "Anyway, the map is just behind the tapestry; if you need the loo there is one just off to the right, the Owlery is upstairs and to the left if you need to send out any mail, um...Oh, there is a more restricted section near the back which I will unlock to any who asks, but I must be there to supervise. We don't want anyone opening up a cursed tome, now do we?" she chuckled nervously.

Theo and Pansy ventured off to sit at one of the desks while Narcissa made her way up to the family tree mounted on the wall. Pulling out her wand, she charmed the tapestry to roll upwards, revealing an extremely large...blank wall. Harry raised a brow in confusion before Narcissa pulled out a knife from her belt and sliced her left palm quick and hard. Placing her hand upon the marble stone, she whispered an incomprehensible incantation before removing her hand, stepping back, and healing the wound.

After a couple of seconds, a black line began to form as everyone in the room watched in amazement. It took exactly three minutes for the entire map to fill the surface and exactly one minute for the witch to summon a book from a shelf upstairs.

Flipping through the pages, she found what she was looking for, before turning around and glancing up at the group staring wide eyed at the map.

"This...is going to take a while...all night I presume" she stated wistfully.

Headmistress McGonagall shook her head while rubbing her temples with the tips of her fingers before adjusting her spectacles on her nose.

"Well, I cannot stay. I have many students back at the school that I must explain things too. Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley, Ms. Lovegood, Mr. Longbottom, Ms. Parkinson, and Mr. Nott...I am giving all of you until the week is out, at most, to either stay here...or at your homes, before you are required back at Hogwarts to continue your studies-No exceptions and no excuses" she claimed sternly while holding up a hand to keep Harry quiet. "Professor Flitwick has already returned to the school, so I will have Hagrid floo here to collect the six of you come Sunday night since he will be available. I have enough on my plate as is, I do not need you failing your N.E.W.T.S before they even start. I will return tomorrow evening after I have spoken with the other Professors to see if we can work something out. I expect you all to stay on your best behavior while at Malfoy Manor...if I hear otherwise, it will be detention until the school year is out, do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Professor..." the students chimed in unison, including Arthur Weasley who coward behind his wife with embarrassment written all over his flushed cheeks when everyone looked at him perplexed.

"O...kay then," McGonagall continued after shaking away the bewilderment. "Please make sure you eat and get plenty of rest. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow."

"Thank you, Minerva" Molly stated warmly as Elizabeth and Robert nodded their heads in gratitude. "I will be sure to send an Owl if we find anything."

"I hope you do..."

"I will have Keesy prepare dinner" Narcissa said gently with a bow of her head as she made her way out of the library. "Oh, do forgive me," she paused at the entrance "I've also instructed Piskey to bring up a cheese platter and wine to tie everyone over while dinner is being prepared. Please help yourself when she arrives."

An hour later, six students and five adults sat in an awkward silence in the luxurious Dining Hall built for thirty people and gazed back and forth at each other as dinner was about to arrive. The house elves had shrunk the table to comfortably fit them all without feeling like they were miles apart, and graciously placed bowls of thick chowder soup in front of each guest. After the appetizers were finished, braised duck with roasted glazed carrots, mashed potatoes, cranberry pecan salad, and freshly baked bread was served. A decadent cake promptly followed and even Ron himself, felt overly stuffed after the filling three course meal.

Satisfied with her visitors' full stomachs, Narcissa showed them to the Guest Wing, which held over a dozen bedrooms, each decorated lavishly and in its own colored theme. The Grangers were particularly impressed with the moving and talking portraits that hung throughout the corridor but seemed to fair well around the reality of magic in the Manor.

Once everyone was settled, the elder Malfoy went back to the Library to perform the charms needed to modify the map in order to search for their missing children. When she finished, she reluctantly slipped off to bed and tossed and turned through the night...worried for Draco and Blaise's safety.

Spring of 44 BC

"Are we sure the girls are going to be in there?" Draco inquired as he and Blaise looked up at the mass of men standing outside the Theatre of Pompey.

"Nope" his friend answered with a sharp inhale. "There weren't technically any females present during this meeting. However, no thanks to you, somehow Granger and Red are now going to be present so..."

"So, I fucked up history..."

"You sure did!" Blaise stated with a worrying chuckled while patting the blonde on the back, making Draco's concerns turn more woeful. "Might as well get this over with. The sooner Granger's chews your ear off for messing with time, the faster we can all sort out our shite and move forward. So, are you ready?"

"No..." Draco replied with a deep exhale "but let's go."

Walking steadily up the multiple levels of stone stairs, Draco and Blaise nervously walked through the crowd of gentlemen dressed in red and white togas and tunics, as they made their way inside the Theatre. Julius Caesar had yet to arrive so for the time being, the boys stood in the archway and looked around for the girls.

During his scan of the large stone chamber, Draco spotted Hermione with a silver plate of red wine in her hands, reluctantly passing the out the drinks to the men eyeing her like a piece of candy. His gaze became fixed when he saw her ensemble, as his jaw began to slowly fall, and his breath caught in his throat. His heart began to race while his grip on his helmet, held securely at his side, slipped and crashed to the floor with a loud clang.

Everyone in the room went silent as they looked to the blonde whose eyes widen in embarrassment and he quickly bent down to pick up the headgear. In doing so however, Draco accidently kicked it further away from himself and he clumsily struggled to pick it up as a hundred gazes stared hard at him.

"Just leave it" Blaise soundly whispered through clenched teeth, forcing the Slytherin to stand up slowly and clear his throat while trying to look anywhere but at the beautiful figure he was sure he didn't have feelings for.

Reminding himself that Hermione was going to rip him a new one when she figured out, he had messed with the past, he turned around and faced away from the quizzical girl glaring at him. Blaise raised a brow at his friend as the people went back to speaking to one another, before his own gaze fell to a certain redhead holding a plate of cheese and grapes.

Hastily facing the opposite direction, he now understood why Draco was acting mental, but before he could utter a word, the pair heard shouting and immediately turned back to witness Ginny holding a middle-aged mans' wrist in her free hand, with a large evil scowl resting upon her features. The man's fingers were twisted back as he cried out in pain before the redhead released her hold by shoving his arm back into his chest and stormed off; all while still impressively balancing the silver platter in her left hand.

"Looks like Red can take care of herself. Quite well I might add..." the blonde muttered as he leaned his upper body closer to Blaise.

Rolling his eyes, Blaise moved to take a step when he felt a hand on his shoulder, forcing him to stop. He and Draco both turned around to come face to face with a young raven-haired man, not much older than themselves.

"Soldiers are to stand guard outside the quarters. The meeting is starting so-toma, Étsi kalýtera na eíste sto drómo sas" the man stated before walking off.

"Uh oh..." the dark-skinned wizard proclaimed in fear.

"What the fuck just happened?" Draco questioned in confusion.

"The spell...it wore off! We need to get out of here. We can't bring out our wands around all these people!"

Hermione watched as Blaise drug Draco from the room in resentment. She was pissed at the blonde Slytherin for putting her and Ginny into the predicament he had and the fact that he had possibly altered the past in doing so. Although, she knew his intentions were good, the results were simply less than favorable.

As the boys left, Hermione scanned the room to see where Ginny had ventured off to after the perverted man tried to grope her, but the hall grew quiet as Julius Caesar entered; talking to a few men while making his way to the center of the room.

Unnerved and frightened, the brunette witch carried her tray of wine over to the throne chair near the front of the chamber, where she was instructed to stand on the left side once the Dictator arrived. Holding the shaking silver platter in front of her, Ginny stood on the right of the cathedra and both pretended like they weren't there as Caesar stood directly in front of them...only a few feet away.

While Julius spoke to a young man in Greek, both girls suddenly realized the language charm had worn off and looked at each other with wide eyes before looking back to the argument that began to ensue. Before they knew it, the man had brought out a knife, and thrust the blade quickly at the Roman Politician.

Caesar grab the dagger within his right fist, shocking the throng of people that had betrayed him, before pulling away as the man withdrew. As Julius' injured hand flung backwards, his crimson blood poured out of his palm and splattered directly onto Hermione's stunned face. Petrified and frozen in fear, Hermione's lips parted as she tried to breathe, and Ginny screamed as a mass of deceivers, began to stab the Roman dictator all over his body.

When Blaise and Draco heard the blood curdling cry, as they stood guard just outside the closed doorway, they quickly looked at each other in dismay before kicking the doors open and rushing inside to find a chaotic scene. People began to run out of the chamber, making it hard to move forward as the boys searched the faces for the girls in the sea of men.

Spotting Hermione standing rooted to the floor in front of the room with blood covering her skin, Draco called out to her, concerned that she was hurt because of his choice to alter the owner of the brothels mind, and he tried his hardest to shove his way through the crowd towards her. Unfortunately, the bookworm didn't see nor hear him and was pushed off to the left, out of view. Blaise, however, saw Hermione as he looked for Ginny and quickly ran to her. Cradling the shocked woman in his arms, he looked around for Draco and the brunettes' friend while elbowing men out of his way; trying his best to get the witch out of the room.

No longer able to see Hermione in the disarray, Draco looked to the right to see Ginny clinging her back against the stone wall with tears streaming down her pale face. He respited for a moment, debating on whether to look for Hermione or save Ginny when he heard the redhead whimper in fear. Rushing over to her as Julius Caesar fell to the ground and the traitors of the Senate continued to stab him, he scooped up the Gryffindor bridal style, and carried her away from the pandemonium.

Bulldozing through the men scampering and shouting through the archway, Draco set Ginny down, grabbed her hand, and began to drag her down the multi-level stairs. He had no idea where the other half of his group was, but he knew he needed to at least get the fiery Gryffindor to safety before returning to the Theatre to find the missing duo.

Ginny was beyond disturbed at the murder she bore witness to and allowed the blonde Slytherin to lead her through the Bazaar without complaint. They weaved left and right as the pair raced passed stunned people, minding their own business, when Draco spotted two familiar individuals hugging down an alleyway. Stopping in his tracks, he hastily rushed back while still holding Ginny's hand in his and released a sigh of relief when he identified the pair as Hermione and Blaise.

"Oh, thank Merlin!" he breathed as he and Ginny began walking towards their friends.

Hermione looked up from Blaise's chest and gasped when she saw her best friend crying. Releasing her hold on the dark-skinned wizard, both girls raced to hug each other as Blaise walked up to Draco with alleviation flooding his body.

As Ginny tightly hugged Hermione however, she glanced up at Draco and sudden anger began to fill her gaze. Letting the bookworm go, the redhead scowled as she stormed up to the blonde before stopping directly in front of him and raising a fast hand; slapping him hard across his left cheek.

"OW! WHAT THE BLOODY FUCK?" Draco cried out while holding his cheek in the palm of his hand as Hermione and Blaise ran over to the pair. "What the fuck is wrong with you?"

"What's wrong with me?" she snapped with a stomp of her foot. "You're the biggest fucking arse on this fucking planet, you daft little shite!" she snarled as she smacked the metal on his chest hard. "We could have been fucking bought! I was fucking groped by some pervert while you paraded around in fucking armor! I'M HALF-FUCKING-NAKED!" she screamed while pushing the blonde backwards before trying to attack him with her fists.

Blaise quickly grabbed Ginny by the waist and hoisted her kicking and flailing body away from a stunned Draco. She continued to holler as the wizard held her back and Hermione quickly stepped in between her hysteric friend and the blonde Slytherin.

"Ginny, please stop..." she uttered, trying her best to silence the rage within the redhead. The last thing any of them needed right now was people hearing their argument.

"NO! This is absolute bull-shite, Mione! We could have been sold to some old fucker thinking we were actual sex slaves!"

"I wouldn't have let that happen!" Draco defended as he rubbed his cheek tenderly. "I fucked up yeah, but I wouldn't have let either of you be sold! Are you kidding me? I just saved your life in there!"

"After you put us there in the first place!" Hermione retorted sharply, whipping in her body around with narrowed brows of embitterment. "You didn't think, Malfoy! You could have easily just knocked the owner out again, but instead you-you altered her memories to have us attend that assassination no woman was supposed to be a part of!"

"I'm sorry, okay! I didn't know it would all turn out like that!"

"I don't want an apology, Malfoy!" Ginny scorned. "I want you held accountable for your actions! Y-yo-" she laughed when Blaise released his grip enough to only slightly hold her back. Though he was prepared if she tried to lunge again. "You don't get it! You'll never get it!"

"Yeah, I got that!" the blonde countered angrily. "I will never be good enough in the eyes of the Wizarding World Saviors, oh, no! Only they're allowed to mess up! The rest of us must apparently be absolutely perfect!"

"She never said you weren't allowed to mess up!" Hermione spoke while throwing her hands in the air; fully annoyed with how things were turning out. She knew fights would occur between the rival houses, but she was also aware that they all needed each other, if they were going to make it home alive. "Look, can we just...not fight right now?" she asked gently before turning her gaze to Ginny, who was glaring angrily at Draco. "Malfoy made a mistake, Gin. Let it go...We made it out of there without being bought and we are alive. Can we just be grateful for a moment that none of us were hurt in that mess?"

"I'll be grateful when this git finally learns to think for once in his damn life! He should be fucking thanking me for not hexing his arse for what he did!"

"I said I'm sorry..."

"Are you?" the bookworm questioned as she rotated her body to face the Slytherin. "Are you truly sorry for putting us all in that situation?"

"Yes..." he replied while staring deep into the brunettes' brown eyes which were searching carefully into his.

"Good" she claimed soundly. "And I am sorry for this, but I told you back at the brothel this would happen." Before Draco could think about what the Gryffindor was talking about, Hermione raised a hand and slapped him hard across the same cheek Ginny did only a moment ago. "That's for making us sex slaves when you clearly could have come up with a better alternative."

Gripping his cheek again as he hunched over in pain, Blaise chuckled slightly as he bit his lower lip and Ginny crossed her arms in satisfaction before walking off towards the bazaar. Hermione quickly pulled out the amulet from her bag and shoved it into Draco's chest.

"This is on you from now on" she stated as Draco took the relic. "It seems every time we jump, I end up being the unlucky person holding the thing, so you now get to carry that responsibly. Maybe it will teach you something, I don't know..." she finished before walking off to catch up to Ginny. Blaise pinched his lips inward and raised a brow while stepping closer to his wounded friend.

"You okay, mate?" he inquired as Draco looked down at the necklace in his hand while he rubbed the left side of his reddened face.

"I'm fine!" he groaned heavily with a deep sigh as he placed the relic in the pocket he had conjured into the fabric before he and Blaise had returned to the theatre. "I deserved it."

"I told you Granger wasn't going to be happy with you. Though, I didn't expect Red to go full beast mode. I'm surprised she didn't hex you on the spot" he claimed while walking with Draco towards where the girls were waiting for them at the end of the alley.

"Honesty...I'm surprised too."

"So, where do we go from here?" Ginny questioned with fire still in her voice as she refused to look at Draco.

"I have no idea..." Hermione replied as Blaise suddenly realized the girls were still half-naked.

Grabbing a tunic off a stand behind him, he quickly threw the blanket like fabric over Ginny's shoulders as the owner of the stand began to yell at him. Since he was still in his stolen soldier uniform, he simply waved the woman off who scoffed in irritation and shook her head, before checking Ginny to make sure she was alright. At the same time, Draco noticed the stained blood still splattered over on the brunettes' face and without thinking, raised his left hand to slowly wipe at a small stream trickling down her cheek.

Hermione's eyes snapped to him in surprise and he quickly pulled his hand away before clearing his throat and looked around the bazaar. His eyes landed on a colored cloth behind Blaise on the same stand he had filched the tunic from, and he swiftly shoved his friend out of the way. Picking up the white fabric, he reached into his pocket and paid the lady who was about to yell at him, with two coins he had lifted when he took the guards armor.

Slowly turning around, he handed the cloth to Hermione who eyed him skeptically, before taking it and wiping off her face. She thanked him as she wrapped the material around her torso, but Ginny quickly grabbed her wrist and began hauling her down the dirt street before Draco could utter a single sound.

"She is really mad at you" Blaise stated while crossing his arms as they watched the girls window shopping at a stand not too far from them.

"I don't blame her. I'd be mad too" Draco acknowledged with a heavy sigh. "Come on, mate. We should catch up to them" he finished as he lightly smacked Blaises' chest with the back of his hand.

The four walked down the busy street that was still unaware of their dictator's death, with Ginny and Hermione well ahead of the boys. As they rounded the corner of the bazaar and took in the beauty of the city of Rome, Draco's felt a slight vibration in his wool trousers and looked down to see a soft glow emitting from the pocket.

"Shite! Guys!" he called out while discretely pointing to his leg.

Hermione's eyes widened before she looked around for a place to hide as quick as she could. Pulling Draco immediately into the first empty building she could find, while Blaise and Ginny hastily followed them. This time though they prepared for the blast they knew would happen and formed a circle. Hermione entwined her left hand in Ginny's right, as the red-headed witch did the same with Blaise. The dark-skinned wizard then quickly grabbed a hold of Draco's right hand before the blonde held tightly to Hermione. Seconds later, the loud piercing sound reverberated against the stone walls, but it seemed the only ones who could hear it, were the four students' band together in a ring.

Trying their best to tune out the high-pitched noise emitting from Draco's pocket, the group shut their eyes tightly and waited for the decisive burst of energy. Before they knew it, the blast that would have normally thrown them backwards, echoed through the chamber, knocking the group to the floor. However, they never released their holds on each other as the magic of the amulet pulled them forward and dropped them into a very cold, very white...terrain.


	5. Take a Closer Look

Chapter 5- Take a Closer Look

11 Thousand Years Ago

Confused and trembling, Ginny and Hermione released their grips on each other and stood up, but before they could figure out where they had landed, Draco quickly pulled out his wand and charmed the shivering girls' clothing into something they would normally wear for winter at Hogwarts. Blaise followed suit and altered his and Draco's solider uniforms, so they were now wearing black jumpers, coats, and warm woolen slacks. He then transfigured their swords into gloves for both them and the girls, before changing everyone's shoes into warm boots.

"Seriously?" Ginny expressed in annoyance while zipping her feathery jumper. "That thing had to drop us in the middle of the Arctic, or Antarctic...or Russia..." she trailed off as she looked down at the sparkling snow, illuminated by the bright sun, while trying to think of other cold places around the world. "Canada?" she scrunched her brows.

"Holy mother of Merlin!" Hermione yelped in surprise when she looked down from the radiant sky sprinkling soft white snow, and at the trio staring at her with raised brows. However, before she made a sound, she pointed to an animal, larger than an elephant, standing directly behind the group. "Ice Age!" she exclaimed, and three pairs of eyes slowly turned as they backed up to stand closer to the curly-haired brunette, in absolute shock.

"OH, MY GODS! IT'S GOING TO KILL ME!" Blaise freaked out while scrambling to cower behind Draco in fear. "GET IT AWAY, GET IT AWAY!"

"It won't hurt you, Zabini" the Golden Girl claimed while staring in awe as she took a step forward and admired the Woolly Mammoth grazing in a small patch of green showing through the thin blanket of snow. But Ginny instinctively grabbed her arm and pulled her back, shocking the Gryffindor, and making the extinct beast raise its large curled tusks as it lifted its head from its meal, happily chewing away.

The mammal stared at them for a moment, as the group cautiously stepped backwards, before it lowered its head back down, and continued grazing as if the four weren't even there.

"C-c-can we get out of here n-now?" the Italian requested in a whimper while clinging to Draco's left arm apprehensively.

Shaking his limb free from his friend, Draco shook his head as he narrowed his brows; perplexed at his best mates' fear of the colossal Mammoth. Granted, he too was slightly terrified of the enormous animal, but at least he hid his concerns well enough.

Slowly walking away from the wild creature, who didn't seem to have any regards for the humans gawking at it, the students aimlessly made their way through the white dust on the ground looking for somewhere to rest after their long harrowing day.

Passing many animals that no longer existed, Blaise spotted a giant Ground Sloth in a barren tree and pointed to the mammal in amazement; stopping the group from advancing.

"Hey, it's a Sloth!" Ginny perked up. "Awe, it's so cute!"

"It sort of reminds me of Weasley..." Draco stated with a tilt of his head as he studied the furry face of the slow-moving animal. "Your brother, not you!" he quickly corrected when Ginny shot him a deadly glare.

"First Weasley ever recorded in history..." Blaise joked, but quickly lost the smirk when the redhead back handed his shoulder.

"Careful, Zabini" Hermione chuckled into her gloved hand. "Ground Sloths' claws are strong enough to tear apart tree branches. If Ginny is related to one, then I'm sure she will have no problem ripping you open stem to stern."

Blaise's eyes went wide as Ginny gave him an evil smile and crossed her arms; urging him to continue with a wave of her hand as Draco tried to hold back a laugh.

Continuing onward for another ten minutes, Hermione suddenly stopped walking when she heard Draco mention how he was confused as to why they were thrown back further instead of forward. She stood fixed in daze when a single thought burst to the forefront of her mind. Everyone looked back at her perplexed, when she slowly raised her eyes up to her peers. Rushing over to the Slytherin Prince, she quickly reached into the startled blonde's trousers, and pulled out the amulet.

"Okay honestly, Granger, you really need to warn me before you do that. Or better yet, stop doing it all together and just tell me what you need!" he claimed with a roll of his eyes. "What are you looking at? It's not about to jump us again is it?"

"Salazar, I hope it does!" Blaise declared while throwing his head back and groaning as he rubbed his arms for warmth. "Shite is freezing out here! I'd honestly rather go back to China!"

"Did any of you try a repairing charm on this?" she asked while holding the relic up. When the group gazed at each other before shaking their heads no, the brunette looked back down at the scarab and smiled widely. "So, either the charms I tried on it are working...which is honestly doubtful because they should have worked instantly, or...or the amulet is repairing itself!"

"What? Let me see!" Draco demanded while taking a step forward and grabbing the necklace out of the Gryffindor's hand. "You keep digging in my pockets without my permission, so don't get prissy with me for grabbing this from you" he said soundly when Hermione glared at him. Ignoring her anger, he began to examine the crack and realized that it had significantly shrunk. "So, does this mean we are almost home?"

"The stone is still missing, Malfoy" the brunette stated in irritation. "Which means, unless the thing can replace it entirely, we have to find the gem or get lucky enough for the relic to send us back to our own time."

"Okay, but what happens when the crack is fully sealed?" Ginny inquired while looking down at the beetle in the blonde Slytherins' hands.

"Maybe we'll stop apparating all over the damn world!" Blaise answered. "And hopefully it puts us somewhere warmer than this frozen death trap!"

"You really don't like the cold, do you?" Hermione chuckled softly.

"He hates it..." Draco added with a light scoff through his nose.

"Which is exactly why we should get out of here and into something less frigid!" the Italian demanded before rotating his body to continue walking; to where though, he had no idea.

After walking for close to two miles, everyone was freezing cold, hungry, and worn out. Taking a rest in front of a large boulder, Hermione searched through her beaded bag and sighed heavily when she realized they were out of grains.

"You guys...We need to figure out what we're going to do about food."

"What?" Draco asked confused as he stood up straight from his hunched over position. "Why?"

"Because we're out of rice..."

"Great!" Ginny stated in annoyance while throwing her hands into the air. "That's just fucking wonderful! Anything else we're low on? Because if dying in the bitter cold isn't enough, we're going to starve out here as well!"

"Can't we just hunt for food?" Blaise suggested while crossing his arms in front of him to try and keep warm.

"If you want to kill an innocent creature, Zabini, then be my fucking guest, but I'm not going to be responsible for the death of an animal!" the redhead snapped. She might eat meat, but there was no way she would want to see a creature die or even be the reason for it. As long as she didn't see the suffering, she would be okay.

"Ginny!" Hermione rebuked. "Calm down! It was a legitimate suggestion. You don't need to yell at him."

"It was a stupid suggestion!"

"No, it wasn't!" the dark-skinned wizard retorted. "We obviously need food and the only way we are going to get any out here is by hunting or scavenging! And since it's the damn Ice Age, I don't see us finding a farm to steal corn from any time soon! So, that leaves us with one option!"

"Okay, well first we need to find shelter from this cold before doing anything" Draco added authoritatively, hoping to stop the fight before it grew out of control. "Otherwise, we're not going to be able to hunt or scavenge," he looked to Ginny to make sure she heard him take both sides "anything. We need to make a fire and warm up, then figure out what to do. We can survive long enough without food, but we won't survive, if we don't build a fire."

"He's right Gin" the brunette claimed reluctantly; still unsure as to why she kept taking Draco's side. "We need to head closer to the mountains, which aren't that far...maybe a few miles or so. We can then set up the tents with wards and have less of a chance of running into large carnivorous animals."

"What the fuck is that?" Blaise yelped while pointing behind Ginny standing with her arms crossed in front of the boulder; throwing the whole conversation off as his hand trembled in terror.

The redhead slowly turned around as Draco and Hermione peered around her to see what had the Italian so unhinged. Softening her shoulders, Ginny chuckled with a shake of her head as she bent down and began to make a ticking sound with her tongue.

"It's just a cub, Zabini" she mentioned between clicks while flicking her finger to try and get the kitten to approach her. "It won't hurt you."

"Says you! That thing could very well be a carnivorous beast just like that T-Rex!"

"Uh, Red..." Draco began with an anxious voice. "That-that's not a just any cub..."

"Don't be ridiculous, Malfoy" she replied while turning her head back to the trio staring wide eyed ahead of her.

"Gin...I-I need you...to come here...." Hermione stated with a cracked voice while Draco slowly bent down to pull Ginny away from the cub; his eyes never wavering from the kittens' mother, growling angrily through her long, curved, saber-shaped feline teeth.

Thursday May 6th, 1999

Elizabeth Granger tossed and turned through the night as her husband slept peacefully beside her. She was used to him being able to sleep through just about anything, but the fact that their daughter was lost in the past, had her worried about how he could rest at such a troubling time.

Though the king size bed was the most comfortable mattress she had ever slept on in her entire life, Elizabeth still could not maintain her slumber. Every time she closed her eyes, she dreamt of where Hermione might be, and was deeply concerned on if she was alright.

Glancing down at her watch on her left wrist, she noted the time to be three am and decided that a nice cup of hot tea might help ease her mind. She knew how to call for a house-elf to bring her some, but she was not used to such magic and decided to gather the beverage on her own.

Removing the cloud-like quilt carefully, so not to wake her husband, Elizabeth crawled out of bed, lit the used candle set inside a silver chamber stick on the nightstand, and quietly opened the tall arched door. Stepping out into the darkness of the corridor with only a small flicker of light, dressed in a long flowing light blue night gown, she began to walk past sleeping portraits, and shook her head in awe of her surroundings. Never in her wildest dreams did she ever believe she would see the magic her daughter spoke so highly of and witnessing the alluring power behind every element of Malfoy Manor, had the muggle in absolute fascination.

Rounding the corner as she made her way towards the grand stairs near the front of the mansion, Elizabeth noticed a faint orange glow seeping out the bottom of the library doors. With her interest peaked, she gently rested a hand upon the entryway, and slowly pushed it open. Stepping inside, she looked around the breathtaking space before her eyes landed on a woman sitting on the floor in front of the low stage.

"Narcissa?" she whispered gently as she titled her body slightly to the left and covered the lambent flame with her hand to prevent it from going out.

"Who's there?" the witched asked, slightly startled, before turning her head to see the figure who disturbed her so abruptly. "Oh, Mrs. Granger...I apologize if I have awoken you. Are your accommodations satisfactory?" she inquired while rotating her head back and gazed down at the book resting in her lap. With only a few lit candle sticks to allow her to see, Narcissa continued to read, before glancing up at the map.

"Our chambers are wondrous, truly. And you did not wake me. I simply couldn't sleep" the brunette replied softly. "If-if I may...what has you awake at this hour?"

"I too couldn't find rest; so, I came back to reexamine my charms. I want to make sure everything is correct and see if I can possibly speed up the process...Come, sit" she urged while summoning a cushion from out of nowhere.

Elizabeth hesitated for a moment, before walking over to Lady Malfoy, and taking a seat next to her. Setting the chamber stick down in front of her, she glanced over at the book in Narcissas' lap and studied the language she couldn't read.

"Is that some sort of wizard dialect?" she questioned while examining the text.

Narcissa raised a brow as she slowly lifted her gaze to the muggle beside her.

"It's Latin..." she stated as a matter of fact. "We don't have our own language. We speak the main ones just like everyone else."

"Oh, sorry...I just-I just assumed..."

"It's quite alright, Mrs. Granger-"

"Elizabeth..." she requested while looking up at the woman whose black and white hair hung loosely over her right shoulder. "You have opened your home to my family and have shown great kindness while searching relentlessly for our children, Narcissa. You've earned the right to call me Elizabeth...or Liz, if you prefer."

"I appreciate that...Elizabeth, but please understand, I wasn't always so kind" the witch stated before looking back up to map of the world. "I am a woman of many things, but kindness has just recently become one of my traits...and I have no one to blame but myself."

"No one is perfect. Lord knows, I'm surely not. We have all made mistakes in our lives, but if we learn from them, we can eventually find forgiveness in ourselves."

"If you knew of the deeds I have done and the lies I have told, you would not be saying such things."

"I know enough" Liz shrugged as she played with the hem of her nightgown. "The real question, however, is do you forgive yourself for what you have done?" Elizabeth halted for a brief period of time, as she waited for the woman to answer. When Narcissa didn't, she sighed deeply before pressing on. "Forgiveness of ones' self, to me, is most important. It should be done well before asking forgiveness from others..."

"I'm working on it..." Lady Malfoy claimed as she lowered her head and pretended to keep reading.

"I know it is not my place but...do you have a list, like I know your son does? Quite similar in fact, to my daughters'..."

"Hermione has one...as well?" Narcissa questioned curiously; wondering why the Gryffindor Golden Girl would need forgiveness from anyone.

"She does" Elizabeth nodded. "Draco is number two, apparently...and it's not the same kind of list as his. She is supposed to try and forgive him for afflicting so much pain in her life. I do believe she truly wants to, with the way she spoke about him, but she has yet to pardon the person who rests at the top. The one person that matters most above all."

"And who may I ask, is number one?"

"Herself..." Liz replied gently as her gaze flitted from her night gown and up to the surprised blue eyes staring directly at her. "Hermione blames herself for your son singling her out. She knew she couldn't change being a muggle-born and she knew that Draco thought the same thing. However, he still bullied her, and her understanding became more of something she did to upset him, than what he saw her as."

"I suspect that it is mine and Lucius's fault for Draco being the way he is...was. I did not help either with preventing the ideals his father planted in his mind. If anything, I made it worse by not showing him the love he so rightly deserved as a child. I should have done more to stop the hate my family instilled in me on to him. But I and even Draco, would have been wiped off the family tree."

"Can I give you my honest opinion...Narcissa?" the muggle asked softly while tilting her head forward slightly to view the face of the woman sitting hopelessly beside to her. But when the Malfoy didn't answer, she continued anyway. "You're a mother...and no matter what you may or may not have encouraged into your son, you still love him. And that love helped changed his ways just enough to not inform your sister of who Harry really was and save your family from certain death; on more than one occasion. You both may have watched Hermione through the torment she received in this manor, but I was told that she could tell neither of you wanted to. Which gives me the idea that what happened that day...is what is preventing you from forgiving yourself, not the ideals placed on Draco."

"We didn't want anyone to get hurt" Narcissa stated with watery eyes as she tried her best to hold back the tears begging to burst through. "And I as much as the mother in me wanted to protect her I-I-I couldn't...So...Draco did." Elizabeth jolted back slightly at the confession she never thought she would hear, with a mixture of surprise and confusion written all over her face. Narcissa glanced at the woman as a single tear slipped down her cheek, and she knew it was finally time to share her son's biggest secret. "My sister...Salazar, she was a ruthless, spiteful, vile woman, but she was taught the Dark Arts by none other than the Dark Lord himself. There wasn't a dark spell or charm she didn't master. She even taught Draco Occlumency...a way to prevent anyone from entering your mind" she explained when Elizabeth raised a perplexed brow. "A feat that is very difficult to learn and the spell he used strongly that day...Your daughter...should have been in more pain than she was."

"Wh-what are you saying?"

"I'm saying...With the position I was in, I couldn't protect her without anyone noticing. However, Draco...could. And he did."

"I-I don't understand. You're telling me that your son-"

"Placed a spell, similar to that of a shield charm, over Hermione..." Narcissa admitted factually before lowering her head and began to touch the page of the book she was studying with her palm. "He had to make it weak, so not to draw attention, but strong enough to prevent each curse that was thrown, from causing long term damage. He then blocked that part of his mind off from anyone ever finding out, including Bellatrix, who tried to break him in to telling her why Hermione wasn't dead after all the curses she had used. She performed almost every torture technique she could without killing him...The Cruciatus Curse being her favorite" she scoffed lightly while wiping away a shed tear from her cheek. "But he never let her in."

"But...Hermione never spoke of him shielding her" Elizabeth stated as her watery eyes darted back and forth; thinking hard on if her daughter had ever mentioned the boy helping her.

"She wouldn't...because she doesn't know. And both Draco and I thought it best that she remains in the dark about the action. With everything he had put her through over the years, we did not want Hermione or anyone else for that matter, to think he protected her to gain mercy when the Dark Lord fell...Considering, we knew he would fall...It was just a matter of when."

"I-I think I'm going to need that tea I originally planned to get before stopping in here..."

"Chamomile, I believe, will work best. I'll have Keesy brew us some before doing anything else...I'm sure you have a few questions after everything I just told you."

"Yes..." the muggle woman state softly while gazing unseeingly at the floor in front of her. "Th-that would be nice."

XX

"Is this really what you rich lot eat for breakfast...every day?" Ron asked while staring down at his full English breakfast in excitement. "I could get used to this!" Molly Weasley shook her head with a light scoff, making Ron glance up at her from across the table in shock, and clear his throat in embarrassment. "But nothing compares to your cooking, mum!" he quickly blurted out as his cheeks flushed, before lowering his head in shame.

"Well," Narcissa began with a pleasant smile "how did everyone sleep? Comfortable, I hope?" she inquired while taking a graceful bite of her eggs.

"The rooms are lovey" Molly answered as politely as she could after averting her glare from her son. "Thank you again for accommodating all of us. I don't presume you get very many house guests since the war...No disrespect."

"None at all" the witch replied while holding a forced smile upon her lips. "It's my pleasure to have you all here. Since Draco and Blaise have returned to Hogwarts," she turned her attention away from the Weasley mother and gently set her fork down before wiping her hands eloquently against the cloth napkin resting on her lap "the manor has been...lonely." She looked up and placed her forearms neatly on the edge of the table. "I do have the house elves to keep me company and I plan to re-establish our annual Christmas Ball in December. So, it won't be too much longer until the house is full again."

"Uh...Narcissa?" Elizabeth spoke as she tried to change the subject to defuse the tension building between the two women. "I was wondering, um...h-how will the map work again? You never fully explained it to us."

The elder Malfoy turned her spiteful glare away from Molly, who she thought should have been much more appreciative of the hospitality given to her and looked to Elizabeth while pulling her arms back and lifting her fork once more.

"Simple" she began while licking her lips graciously. "Last night I placed a few extra charms on the map to help us find the children a bit quicker. After breakfast, I need to collect a few drops of blood from a family member of each of the missing. I will then preform an ancient locator spell that has been used to track bloodlines throughout the Black and now Malfoy, family history. Once that is complete, the map will flip through the eras until it locates the children."

"Okay, but we haven't figured out yet how to bring them back..." Pansy chimed in. "Finding them isn't going to do us any good if we can't bring them home."

"Parkinson's right" Harry added as he ignored the food sitting in front of him; too anxious to eat anything and ready to begin their search.

"What about Blaise's mum?" Theo questioned after swallowing a bite of sausage. "Cause for all we know they might not even be together."

"I have already requested for Valky to find that horrid woman and nip a bit of blood for me" Lady Malfoy replied cordially.

"Isn't that considered...assault?" Robert asked with a curious brow.

"Who's going to tell on a Malfoy?" Arthur laughed into his napkin, but quickly lost the smile when his wife glowered angrily at him., "What I mean to say," he cleared his throat "is no one is going to say anything. And it's for a just cause. We need to find Mr. Zabini just as much as the rest" the wizard claimed before leaning to his right and nudging Harry with his leg. "Do you think if we find a way to contact them, they would bring back some muggle artifacts? I would love to get my hands on-"

"No!" Harry cut in roughly.

"Fair enough..." Arthur state while tilting back in disappointment as everyone looked at him oddly.

"I'm heading off to the Library to study, if anyone needs me" Harry said sullenly while standing up at the opposite end of the table from Narcissa. "See if maybe we can get to them, instead of the other way around."

"That's bloody brilliant, Harry!" Ron declared proudly. "I'll come with!" the redhead stood up before pausing and looking down at his plate. "Can I bring thi-"

"If you damage anything in that library with your food," the Malfoy witch cut in firmly "I will personally see to it that your mother's disciplinary actions are the least of your worries."

"Understood" Ron gulped before slowly removing the half-eaten plate off the table to carry with him. He rushed out of the Dining Hall, faster than anyone could say Quidditch, to prevent his mother from saying no. Shortly after the redhead left, Elizabeth turned her gaze to Narcissa and cleared her throat.

"Would it be possible for us to contact them where they are?" she inquired gently as she lowered her left arm and entwined her fingers through her husbands.

"It's possible..." Molly answered before Narcissa had a chance to reply, making everyone's eyes turn to her instead. "Though, it's incredibly difficult magic, and without knowing where the children are...makes it even more challenging."

The group that remained at the breakfast table, continued to discuss the new topic as they finished their meal before Narcissa stood while her house elves cleared the empty plates.

"I think it is time we head to the Library. I feel leaving Potter and Weasley to do all the research is quite unfair" she claimed with a delicate tone while internally praying to Salazar that Ron hadn't destroyed her work or the system, she had spent hours setting up.

Pleistocene Epoch- Ice Age

"C-can we run now?" Ginny desperately asked while staring straight into the jaws of the large feline, who was angry that anyone dare get close to her cub. She clutched the back of Draco's jumper in terror as she hid behind him while Hermione clung to his arm in fear. Blaise even hid slightly behind the Slytherin Prince, making the blonde question the loyalty and bravery, of his classmates.

"No!" Hermione expressed in ragged whisper while trusting her friend to stay where she was. "If you run, it will chase you, and if she chases you...we're all dead."

"Oh yeah, Granger? What gave you that idea?" the dark-skinned wizard argued as his panicked defense mechanism reared its ugly head. "The two overly long pointed teeth sticking out from the sides of its mouth or the sharp claws big enough to rip open our stomachs and release our entrails into the fresh white snow?" he snapped, but quickly startled backwards as the sabre tooth tiger issued a deep growl.

"Okay" Draco said with a shaky voice as he tried to take control of the situation. He slowly brought out his wand from the inside of his black coat and pointed it at the animal taking leisurely large steps closer to the group hidden behind him. "Everyone just...slowly...back away. If we show, we aren't a threat then she won't attack...maybe."

"Maybe?" Ginny challenged discernibly.

"Yeah, well you get what you can take" he replied with a quick tilt of his head before taking a slow step backwards, forcing the rest of his group to follow.

However, the sabre was not happy with the four standing terrified and shaking before it and released a screeching roar before charging at them at full force. Without thinking, Draco threw a stunning charm while the three people uncomfortably clinging to him, retreated.

Stumbling back, the blonde scrambled to catch up to his peers, who were running as fast as their feet could carry them, as the tiger lay almost lifeless on the snow-covered tundra behind him. He never once looked back while the small cub nudged its mother, hoping to wake her, but at least he knew he didn't change time by killing the beast.

The group continued to run as they tried their best to escape, in case the animal roused prematurely from its stunned status, and only stopped when they saw an entrance to a hollow, buried deep in karst. Catching their breaths, they looked at each other, silently questioning whether they should take the risk before slowly entering the large dry cavern. Pulling out their wands and casting the Lumos charm, they lit up the dark cave and glanced around at the items throughout.

A small burned out fire pit, rested in the center as crude stone tools, axes, spears, and bones laid scattered upon the floor. Thick furry hides laid neatly drying over crossed wooden beams standing erect by the coarse stone walls. Etched and stained along the wide grey stone were strange handmade drawings, roughly carved and dyed to depict possible life stories.

"Wait..." Ginny spoke up, breaking the silence that had enveloped the cave "did-did humans live during this time?"

"Yes...my guess," Hermione chimed as she studied the graphic paintings "either Neanderthals or-or Homo sapiens, judging by the art staining the surface of the rocks."

"Just so we're clear," Blaise inquired with a raised brow while holding a makeshift knife in his hand that he had just picked up off the ground "you're saying...that the first humans to roam the earth...had to live through this never-ending winter?"

But before the brunette could answer, a loud screech echoed through the hollow causing the four to look fearfully towards the entrance.

"W-we should probably put up some charms before that sabre tooth seeks revenge for me stunning it" Draco stated with a quivering jaw.

"That sounds like a good idea" Ginny agreed as she stared wide-eyed at the opening.

"What if whoever lives here, comes back?" Blaise questioned with a shaking voice.

"Then they won't be able to enter until we leave..." the curly-haired witch answered, "which I hope, is really soon."

XX

After starting a fire and placing warming charms on each other, Ginny and Hermione began to set up wards while Draco and Blaise searched the den for food. Luckily the boys found raw scraps of some sort of animal hidden in the back of the cave and began to cook it while the girls started erecting the protection barrier.

"You know" the redhead stated while lowering her wand in annoyance "just because he pulled me away from that tiger thing and is trying to be nice, doesn't mean I forgive him."

"Gin, seriously?" Hermione complained while throwing her head back in discontent. "Where is this coming from? No one even mentioned Malfoy."

"Yeah well, I mean look at him! He thinks trying to be helpful, is going to earn him points for turning us into actual whores!"

"Merlin's beard, Gin, he said he was sorry. Let it go, for Godric's sake" the brunette exclaimed, but only loud enough for Ginny to hear. At least she thought her defense of the blonde Slytherin wasn't heard by anyone else. However, both Draco and Blaise could clearly hear every word, but pretended not to listen as they cooked the foreign meat over the flames. "We both slapped him, pretty hard I might add, and I'm fairly certain he learned his lesson. He is going through this mess just like the rest of us and he didn't know that his actions to try and help the situation, would turn out the way it did. If we keep fighting over things like this, then we are never going to survive out here."

Ginny pursed her lips and crossed her arms with a soft scoff as she thought about what her friend was saying. Though she wanted to stay mad at Draco for his careless action, Hermione was right, she just didn't want to admit it.

Clicking her tongue against her cheek, Ginny released a huff before walking off to see how the boys were fairing with the food. Hermione sighed quietly while turning around to finish her charm before venturing over to the fire; completely unaware that she had forgotten to place a muggle repelling ward due to Ginny's brief rant about the Malfoy heir.

The group ate lunch in silence as Draco tried his best to not look at the brunette who had once again defended him. He wanted to thank her for standing up for him, but he knew it was pointless. She would never see him as anything more than just a guy she was trapped in the past with. Once they made it home, if they could make it home, they would most likely go their separate ways and only speak to each other in passing. The school year was up in just a few weeks, and it was highly unlikely Hermione would ever be his friend after she reconnected with Harry and Ron; though he wouldn't mind being hers.

As the hours passed, Hermione and Blaise decided to explore the contents of the den as Draco studied the caveman-like drawings on a wall opposite the pair. He wasn't really focused on what was painted so much as thinking about how to get either of the girls to trust him, when Ginny stepped up and looked at the wall. She didn't say a word as he glanced to her and lowered his hand from his chin. Taking a deep breath, he turned to the redhead, who pretended to ignore him, and exhaled slowly.

"Red...I-"

"Save it, Malfoy" she cut in crudely while gazing over the art like she was interested in it. "Mione already talked to me" she claimed while turning her gaze to the blonde. "I am still royally pissed at you but...I understand what you were trying to do."

"I really am sorry."

"Yeah, I know" she replied, softening her shoulders as she realized she couldn't really stay mad at Draco since he had saved her life twice now. "Please stop apologizing or I'll have to hit you again."

"Alright" Draco responded while holding his hands up in defense. "I get it, I'll stop." Without saying another word, Ginny spun on her heel and made to walk off before Draco stopped her while a single thought on how to make things up to the witch, filled his mind. "But next time you want to hit someone...do it with a closed fist. It holds more weight behind it." The redhead raised a brow before looking down at her right hand and slowly closed it tightly. Draco shook his head and scoffed slightly as he walked up to the witch and grasped her wrist with his left palm. "Do you want to break a finger?" he inquired with a smirk as he pulled her thumb out of her clenched fist.

"What are you going to teach me how to punch someone now?" she questioned with suspicion radiating her voice.

"I could...if you want me too. It's not hard to learn."

"Do I even want to know how you learned to fight?" she asked with a raised brow.

"Do you want to learn or not?" he replied with a hint of annoyance in his tone, his past was his own and he had no intention on sharing it with anyone. "Because I'm sure it can be useful if we get stuck in an era where you might end up needing to protect yourself without your wand. I am willing to show you some basics, but I'm not going to waste my time if you're not serious about it."

"Okay, alright" she claimed with raised hands. "You can teach me a few things..."

It took Draco until after nightfall to teach the redhead much of what he knew after she had gotten into the zone and wanted to learn everything she possibly could. With the few hours they spent sparing, he had taught her everything from punching to take-downs, though he was strongly regretting the latter parts.

Lying on his back as sweet blessed air refilled his lungs, Draco panted hard as Ginny stood over him with an outstretched hand to help him stand. Letting her assist his tired and wounded body up, he smirked proudly as he stood and brushed the dirt from his trousers.

"Okay you two" Blaise announced while standing by the fire. "As much as Granger and I enjoy watching Red beat the shite out of you, Draco, we sort of want to eat so, soup's up. Cleanse your hands before grabbing a bowl of this...well whatever this is" he glanced down at the transfigured pot resting over the flames with a curious look. "I don't know if you can even really call it soup actually...since there's no vegetables...or seasoning...or-"

"They get it, Zabini" Hermione cut in while inhaling sharply. "It's just meat and a makeshift broth. Take it or leave it, I really couldn't care less."

"Granger, I'll eat just about anything you make right now."

"Then shut up and eat, Zabini" she smirked as she rolled her eyes.

"Hey..." Draco began as the brunette began to pour them all a serving of the soup "does anyone have any idea as to why I am suddenly broke?"

"I'm sorry" Ginny pipped in as she lifted her spoon just shy of her lips "did you say you're broke?" she chuckled while lowering the utensil in her hand. "I never thought I'd see the day where Malfoy had no money! What did you lose your pouch back in museum? Couldn't hold onto your money like you couldn't take the beating I handed you?"

"Ha-ha, not to rain on your parade, Red" he retorted with a sneer "but my pouch is connected directly to my family vault, and now I only have two Galleons in my bag from when I made that bet with Theo and Blaise. Something is not right and for all we know, we might jump to an era where we are going to need money."

"Wait" Hermione stopped pouring her bowl and looked to Draco with a raised brow "you said it's connected to your family vault?"

"Yeah..."

"Malfoy" she scoffed with a light chuckle "We are thousands of years in the past. Your family line most likely hasn't even been born yet. Your riches don't exist right now. Not until way later."

"That...would explain it..." he said while tilting his head.

"Try not to worry about it right now. I am sure we'll be just fine without it."

Pondering what the brunette had stated, Draco still feared they would end up in a time where they would need his money to get out of a sticky situation, or at least find somewhere to stay if it came down to it. And although he knew the others had money, he was the one with the Galleons to spare, and it wouldn't even put a dent in his weekly allowance. He was also the only one that he knew of, where his pouch connected straight to the source without the need to visit a bank and convert anything. He simply only needed to think of the type of money he desired, and it was always there. But now as he sat on the stone floor, basically bankrupt, his thoughts drifted as his peers talked without a care in the world, in front of him.

After the bland dinner, the group decided to get some rest and hoped the amulet would wait to suck them into oblivion...or at least until they had some time to gather themselves. But as Hermione and Ginny sat down on the hard floor, after using the cushioning charm, Draco and Blaise pursed their lips and crossed their arms.

"Should we cuddle together...purely for warmth that is?" the Italian suggested slyly while nudging his blonde friend with his shoulder.

"I'm not cuddling with you" Draco quickly replied as the girls chuckled into their hands. "I'd rather freeze to death then sleep next to you again. You snore louder than a Crumple-Horned Snorkack."

"But...they don't exist..." Blaise stated with a scrunched nose.

"Only Luna believes they do" Ginny added. "Unless, you believe in that imaginary creature too...Malfoy."

"No! It was a-no, you know what, forget it. I'm still not cuddling with him again."

"Again?" Hermione inquired while folding in her lips as she tried not to laugh.

"So, back in China?" the dark-skin wizard began. "That night...meant nothing to you?" he ticked loudly as if offended by the words coming out of his friends' mouth.

"I...hate all of you" Draco scoffed while rolling his eyes, before walking away to sit against the wall; distancing himself from the snickering group.

XX

Huddled together in the middle of the night, Draco watched as his peers slept peacefully next to each other. Blaise being the closest one to him, was snoring loudly as Ginny's back pressed up against him. She too apparently snored, and both were driving the Slytherin Prince insane, but at least now he knew why the redhead never heard her friend's sobs back in China. However, Hermione didn't seem to hear them as Ginny spooned her and appeared to be in a restful sleep. She didn't move or whimper from a nightmare, nor did she snore either, which made the blonde grateful that he wasn't tormented by three heavily wheezing people.

Though, through the coldness of the large open cave, he thought strongly about giving in and cuddling next to the group sleeping soundly while wrapped in the pelts they'd pulled from the racks. He didn't want to, but his arse was beginning to grow numb from sitting on the hard surface, and he refused to use another warming charm in fear of getting too used to it. Exhaling a deep sigh, he stood up and walked around to the other side of the bodies lined up in a neat row, before preforming the cushioning spell a few meters away from the Gryffindor Princess.

Not wanting to wake anyone, he rolled over and hoped being closer to the group would warm him a little better. As he lay on the stone floor, Draco wished he could light a fire, but the bookworm said they shouldn't just in case it drew unwanted visitors. The saber from earlier apparently did want revenge and had tracked them, along with her pride, to the cave. However, just because they couldn't enter, didn't mean the animals didn't know a meal awaited inside and still angrily paced the entrance...praying for the humans nestled within to exit.

While the Slytherin wrapped his arms around himself, Hermione pretended to sleep. She had heard the blonde softly walk around the group and watched him lay down about three feet away from her, though he apparently didn't know she had been awake for hours now, scared to sleep from the nightmares that plagued her mind.

She saw him shivering, but she didn't want to speak up and tell him it was okay to sleep by her. It wasn't like the action would mean anything significant, but she figured Draco Malfoy of all people, would rather not sink to the depths of using her body heat. It was one thing to have a conversation with her and joke around, it was a completely different ball game to suggest he cuddle next to her.

But as the minutes ticked by, the brunette witch struggled to drift off. All she could think about was how Draco was freezing all alone and most likely not getting the rest he needed. Ginny was already snoring loudly into Hermione's ear so she no longer thought that helping the blonde stay warm would hurt any, especially with the other's unable to witness the odd interaction and question her reasoning. After all the worst he would do is push her away and she could go right back to the warm embrace of her red-headed friend.

However, when she slowly slipped out from under Ginny's arm, the redhead turned over and cradled herself adeptly into Blaise's chest, leaving her exit plan useless. Giving in, since she was already half-way there, Hermione took the large animal hide she was using and scooted her body over to Draco. Laying the pelt over top of him, with enough to cover herself as well, she laid down and pressed her back up against the curved muscles of the Slytherin Prince.

Draco froze for a moment when he felt the pressure of someone pressing their body to his and knew instantly that it was Hermione. Refusing to dwell on how he instinctively knew it was the curly-haired witch, he quickly relaxed as he took in the heavenly warmth of her body. Any other day, he would have pushed the Gryffindor away from him, to protect his image and his ego, but after the hell they had been through, he reveled in the kindness that was given to him. He knew the brunette witch didn't have to sleep next to him, but he was grateful she chose to comfort him in his time of need, even though he was the one responsible for most of the pain she had endured. Her simple act of kindness gave him pause as a flicker of genuine happiness lit inside his blackened soul, something he thought he'd never feel again after all he had witnessed during the war.

Thursday May 6th, 1999

"Okay! I'm here!" Professor McGonagall exclaimed while exiting the fireplace in the back of the Library and a holding a folded-up bit of parchment in her hand. "I received your Owl Molly, what did you find?"

Molly quickly met the Headmistress in the center of the room and grabbed her wrist before dragging her towards the study area.

"What do you know about astral projection?" Harry inquired as the witch stood before him completely caught off guard. The rest of the group looked to the stunned professor as they awaited her answer, hopeful that she could help. "The magical kind" Harry continued when McGonagall shook her head in confusion. "The kind that can transport a spirit-like presence to any time period?"

"H-How do you know about that sort of magic? It's not even found in the-ahh, never mind" she answered when she remembered where she was. "That is considered Dark Magic, Mr. Potter and it takes an extreme amount of energy. The kind a single wizard like yourself, could not give out alone. You would need a lot of people to help you."

"Like everyone here?" Ron asked while crossing his fingers at his side.

"Yes, this would be a good amount, but-"

"But nothing, Professor" Theo chimed in. "Our friends are lost, and it is all my fault. If there is even a sliver of a chance that we can figure out where they are and speak to them, then that is a chance I am willing to take. So, can the amount of people in this room, send Potter back in time to ask Granger if she knows what we can do to help them on our end?"

"Yes, Mr. Nott. But I have to warn you..." McGonagall sighed softly "this is no easy task. If not done correctly or Mr. Potter stays in the spirit state for too long...he could very well perish."

"Die?" Neville said in surprise. "I don't want him to die."

"What you're asking is nothing like what muggle's do in their sleep. You are quite literally pulling your spirit out of your body for a short time. If the person projecting doesn't pull back in time, they can become stuck outside of their body with no way back" she explained apprehensively.

"So, in other words," Pansy added as a matter of fact "Potter's body would crumble without his spirit. With nothing to host it and give it function, he would be locked into a coma until his body gave in."

The group of people standing in the room went quiet as the realization of what they wanted to do, washed over them. No one said a word as they all contemplated the seriousness of the dark magic, and no one moved an inch as their eyes flitted back and forth between each other.

"I'll do it" Harry stated strongly, even though every part of his mind was screaming no. "Our friends are possibly going through much worse right now and we need to do everything we can to help them."

"Harry" Elizabeth mutter gently.

"This is your daughter that is missing too, Mrs. Granger" the raven-haired boy claimed with watery eyes. "We won't mess up, will we Professor?" he asked while flicking his gaze to McGonagall. "We'll do everything right. We'll study the entire passage until our eyes bleed and then we will perform the spell-"

"Ritual..." Luna corrected sweetly.

"Whatever" Harry continued. "We will study everything down to a science and find our friends."

Before anyone could say anything, a loud pop erupted in the room startling everyone at the sudden noise that interrupted the eerie quiet.

"Madam Malfoy," Valky the house elf bowed. "I has obtained whats you asked of me, I's did. Was not easy, no. Ms. Zabini dids not give it's to Valky quietly. She scream a lot and I's feel Valky has gone deaf in his ear" he said while rubbing his floppy left ear with his long thin fingers.

"Thank you Valky" Narcissa said kindly as she took a vial from the elf's hand. "You may go now. And do have Piskey heal your ear before continuing with your chores." With another loud pop after bowing once more, the house elf quickly disapparated away as Narcissa examined the small glass bottle filled with a few droplets of blood. She then lowered the vial and looked to group with determination. "Let's make sure the map works before doing anything else, alright? We can discuss it all once we at least figure out what year they are in."

"And if we don't?" Ron asked with a small wave of his hand. "Figure out the year first, that is?"

"Then we will study everything we can before preforming the ritual" Lady Malfoy sighed deeply. "It will be more difficult without the year or even the location, though not entirely impossible."

Walking up to the large map, Narcissa summoned three empty vials before pulling out the dagger from her person. After pricking her own finger and dispensing the blood into one of the glasses, she cleansed the blade before turning to Mrs. Weasley, and Mrs. Granger. However, she was a little too overjoyed at stabbing the red-headed mother in the finger and watching her wince in slight pain, caused a small smirk to spread across her lips.

After filling the vials with a few drops of blood, she faced the map and exhaled slowly before bringing out her wand. The elder Malfoy began to chant in a mixture of Latin and what McGonagall believed to be French, while syphering the blood onto the wall. Four small pools of red liquid formed a dotted ring as Narcissa continued her incantations. Once she was done, the witch stepped back as the large group watched and waited, for something to happen.

It took eleven, long dragged out, seconds before the blood began to rotate in a circle and emit a bright golden glow, forcing everyone to shield their eyes momentarily. The light then quickly vanished, revealing the red droplets merged into a single pool of blood no bigger than the size of an American quarter.

As the group leaned forward to see where the pool lay, the date marked in the top right-hand corner of the map, began flipping through the years backwards at a rapid speed. The contents on the map seemed to have stayed the same as decades came and went, worrying everyone as to how far back the missing really were. The date kept going however with no clues or hints as to when it would stop. The blood though, stayed where it was, waiting patiently until the map was at a standstill.

Pleistocene Epoch- Ice Age

Pulling the hide close to his chest, Draco awoke to the crackling of a fire and lifted his head to see Hermione cooking breakfast quietly as Blaise and Ginny slept. He pondered if he should sit up and say something about what had happened the night before, but he figured the bookworm most likely thought he was asleep. If he brought up the topic of what she did, he was afraid he might embarrass her in some way.

Ignoring the pressing questions bombarding his mind, the Slytherin Prince stayed where he was until the pair snuggling next to each other, just behind him, awoke. It didn't take long for Ginny to wake up and notice whose arms she was sleeping in as her eyes grew wide and she quickly pulled away.

Standing up, the redhead rushed over to Hermione and sat down, pretending she never woke in Blaise's arms. As the two witches talked quietly in front of the small fire, they both suddenly stopped and looked to the entrance of the cave. Both Draco and Blaise opened their eyes when they heard the hushed tones of the girls abruptly halt and lifted their heads in surprise when they realized why.

Standing in the entryway of the large den, stood a figure of a man holding a dead wolf over his shoulder. He was clothed in animal skin to keep warm and wore a makeshift belt with stone tools around his waist. His head was uncovered but his unruly dark brown hair swung carefree in his face. The man seemed angry as he dropped the wolf carcass to the stone floor and took a step forward. It was then, that the group realized the muggle repelling charm was not placed.

"We are so sorry!" Ginny began as she and the curly-haired brunette slowly stood. "We didn't mean to..."

Realizing the man couldn't understand her, the redhead quickly scrambled for her wand in a panic and placed it against her temple. She tried the language charm and began to speak again, but when the human tilted his head, obviously perplexed, she tried again in a different dialect.

"W-why isn't the spell working?" the redhead asked, clearly in distress as Blaise and Draco walked over to the girls; ready to defend them if necessary.

"We are eleven thousand years in the past..." Hermione weakly stated, her eyes never wavering from the burly human in the entryway. "Language, that we're u-used to, hasn't been created yet...o-or at least not in the way we think. We can't speak to him because we don't know what he can understand."

The man's brow furrowed in confusion as his gaze fixed upon Hermione's reflective beaded bag. His darkened irises followed it as she spoke with her hands causing it to sway to and fro in the firelight. Desire spread over his face moments before he lunged at the curly-haired brunette, clearly finding her the least intimidating by her petite stature.

Realizing what was happening mere seconds before the impact, Draco pushed Hermione out of the way before swinging his left arm back and punching the human square in the eye. The dark-haired man stumbled back in surprise before refocusing his attention on what he assumed to be the alpha of the group. Determining he needed to incapacitate their leader, he lunged at Draco as Ginny grasped a hold of Hermione's shoulders in an effort to keep her from joining the brawl. The blonde might have taught her a few moves, but the redhead was nowhere near the skill set Draco was and felt that she and Hermione would do more harm than good if they tried to jump in.

While the two men fought in the open area surrounding the fire pit, the pack of saber's awoke from their slumber and resumed their pacing just beyond the cave's entrance. Blaise worried his lip, contemplating on whether or not to join in, as Draco and the unknown man traded blows, knocking knuckles against torso's and arms as they each grappled for the upper hand. Draco's seeker reflexes came in handy as he repeatedly dodged his attackers' swings.

It seemed as if the blonde Slytherin had the advantage as he backed the brute several paces, with well-aimed hits to his abdomen, towards the barrier wards before a sudden blow connected with his jaw and sent him stumbling backwards. He nearly tripped over the bundle of furs they'd used as blankets but regained his footing just as Blaise grabbed the broad shoulders of the man, pulling him away before he could launch himself atop the pale boy.

Surprised by the sudden ambush the human elbowed Blaise hard in the ribs before the two knocked into the pile of tools and roughly hewn spears. However, the Italian was unused to fighting for his life without a weapon and was soon overpowered by the larger man as he slammed him into the cave wall, causing him to see stars dancing before his eyes as he crumpled to the stone floor.

Ginny cried out in fear for her newfound friend and instantly released Hermione before rushing to Blaise's side to check on him. For a moment no one moved as every eye was trained on the dark-skinned man lying unconscious, his head cradled in the redhead's lap. Hermione couldn't breathe as she stood in shock with wide eyes, waiting for Blaise to stand up...or at least move a finger...or even twitch his nose.

But before she could witness his gasp of breath or hear the groan emit from Blaise's lips, the dark-haired man turned to advance on her once again, intent on collecting his prize attached to her wrist. She stepped back in fear and just as she felt her spine press against the stone wall, an animalistic roar tore from Draco's throat as he barreled into the human's side, knocking him to the ground. Using his position to his advantage, the Malfoy heir began repeatedly striking the man...drawing blood from his brow and lip as his fist made contact again and again.

Glancing briefly towards Ginny and Blaise, Hermione exhaled sharply in relief as she noticed the black-haired boy sitting up and rubbing the back of his head as he groaned in pain. But her eyes only lingered long enough to be sure he was alive before turning back to the fight looming ever nearer the wards.

A look of horror overtook her features as the human suddenly snatched up a rock and struck Draco upside his head, catching everyone in the cave off-guard as the blonde fell over in pain. Blood seeped through his fingers and down the side of his face as he grasped his head and groaned aloud.

Without bothering to pause, the human jumped on top of the pale blonde boy with a knife clutched in his hand, poised to strike as Hermione screamed in fear. Though his vision was blurry, Draco could still see something sharp held in the man's hand and barely blocked the initial blow that cut through the air. His long pale fingers wrap around the burly human's wrists as he struggled to keep the knife tip from grazing his skin.

Draco's arms started to shake from exhaustion as sweat beaded over his forehead and melded with his blood before slipping into his pale blonde hair. As every eye was trained on the brutal match before them, no one noticed the faint pulsing green glow emanating from the beaded bag, signifying the next jump.

Gathering her courage as she noticed the strain stretch over Draco's face, Hermione rushed forward and began to punch the man's fur covered back repeatedly as she screamed for him to leave the blonde alone. Her hits were strong, but unfortunately not strong enough to distract the man from trying to kill the blonde underneath him. The human grunted and shoved the brunette backwards with one hand...knocking her to the floor and winding her all in one go as if she was just an annoying bug fluttering around his face.

Deciding enough was enough the fiery witch rose from the ground and withdrew her wand. Just as she aimed the tip at the man's back the pair rolled and struggled once again for power as Draco put every ounce of strength he had, into pinning the man's arm to the floor; keeping the makeshift knife away from himself. As their bodies laid aligned upon the cold stone, Hermione refrained from hexing the brute for fear of hurting her peer.

Struggling to maintain control of the man, Draco soon found his back pressed against the stones once more as the knife hovered above his neck. Grunts and groans filled the cave as Blaise shook the fog from his mind and took in the scene before him. Instantly recognizing the pulsing green glow and he gestured to Ginny who gasped in fear as she tore her gaze from Draco's possible death.

Determined to help his friend, Blaise struggled to stand with every intention of tackling the burly man before him but instead watched as Draco reached blindly with his right hand for a weapon of some kind strewn over the floor...barely holding off the plunge of the man's knife with his dominant hand. Feeling the handle of a broken spear at his fingertips, he stretched out and grasped it tightly before swiftly jabbing it right into the human's side, unintentionally piercing his heart.

In that moment everything seemed to sharpen and move in slow motion as the brute's dark eyes widened in surprise for a brief moment and his body stiffened minutely before he collapsed over top the pale blonde. Hermione, Ginny, and Blaise stood in shock as blood poured from the wound penetrating the man's chest. The high-pitched keening, radiating from the amulet, could be heard reverberating off the walls as everyone stared in disbelief.

Within a blink of an eye, energy burst from the amulet and ripped each of them from their places as it pulled them forward once more in time. As Hermione blinked from existence, her wards dissolved and the sabre tooth tigers waiting ever so patiently, descended into the cavern, pleased to have such a bountiful meal.

_Thank you to my Beta Scorpia11, for helping me out a great deal on the fight scene. I honestly would be so lost without her! She practically wrote the scene for me after I told her what I wanted. Huge props! Don't forget to leave those wonderful reviews XOXO___


	6. When the Mountain Screams...

Chapter 6- When the Mountain Screams...

Thursday, May 6th, 1999

"How much longer is this going to take?" Pansy groaned while throwing her head back in irritation. "It's been hours and the map just entered the fourth century. How far back did they actually go? I'm starving and this stupid thing doesn't seem to know what the bloody hell it's doing!"

"Can you stop complaining? For once in your damn life, Pans just shut-up!" Theo exclaimed with a roll of his eyes. "I am seriously getting sick of hearing you speak. Literally, I am growing nauseous from the grating sound of your voice."

"You shut-it, you prat! We wouldn't even be in the mess if you didn't have a gambling problem!"

"Right, blame me because the guy, who by the way will never want you, touched the damn necklace I didn't even ask him to pick up in the first place!"

"For your information, he does want me! He just doesn't like showing public displays of affection around his friends!" the raven-haired girl claimed, making Theo shake his head and chortle. "And the fact that you even tried to get Granger and Weasley to pick it up, knowing full well they won't break any rules, caused him to do it instead because he was probably tired of hearing your incessant pleas for someone to like you!" she argued as she stood at the desk in the Malfoy Library, her palms firmly pressing against the wood as Theo stood across from her with rage emitting from his eyes.

"Please!" Theo scoffed has he shook his head. "Draco doesn't like you and he never will! You're just bitter that he is not stuck in the damn past with you!"

"I am not!"

"Oh, okay, so the fact that you keep bitching about him be trapped with Granger, isn't you being bitter then? 'Oh, my poor Drakey-Poo," the brunette wizard began to mock with a pout "he's stuck Merlin knows where, with that know-it-all priss, who thinks she is soooo much better than everyone else. I just can't imagine the torment he has to endure listening to her spout off useless information that no one gives a shite about!' And my personal favorite, 'That wench must be crazy if she even thinks that being lost in the past with my man, will get him to stop antagonizing her! It's a good thing my Drakey-Poo would never stoop as low as to befriend that flea-ridden stray!' That doesn't sound like embitterment to you?" he asked while crossing his arms and holding out a hand before turning to the crowd watching with their mouths gaped open. "Doesn't that sound like someone who has a stick up their arse or am I just imagining it?" he questioned the group memorized by the fight occurring between the two Slytherins.

"Alright, that's enough!" Molly reprimanded after snapping out of her trance and slamming her hand on the desk. Theo smirked at Pansy and fully crossed his arms as the Weasley matriarch resumed her outburst. "We are all a little worn from waiting for the map to find them and studying this ritual, but bickering will get us nowhere! If I see another toe step out of line, I will send you all straight back to Hogwarts, do you hear me? Straight back! The headmistress can then punish you how she sees fit, do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Ma'am" Pansy answered without looking at the redhead and instead kept her focus strictly on Theo staring her down.

"Mr. Nott" Molly harshly spoke with a strong hint of dour in her voice.

"Yes...Ma'am" he answered with furrow brows as he too refused to remove his gaze away from Pansy's.

"Now," Molly continued in a slightly calmer tone "Minerva said she will be back soon, and Mrs. Malfoy is checking on lunch so, let's not bite each other's heads off before then, shall we? We were told the map will notify us when it has found the lost, so until then, we will continue with our studies as if we are all grown adults capable of decent behavior."

Releasing a loud sigh, Molly went back to her research while everyone else pursed their lips; grateful she wasn't yelling at them instead.

Hours passed by like minutes as the group ate in the library and studied the ritual, they soon found to be more ancient than Merlin himself, and much more complicated than they originally thought. However, they had read and reread as many passages as they could before gathering in the center of the room with over a hundred black pillar candles arranged in a large hourglass shape on the grey marbled floor.

The lights in the room were dimmed as Harry exhaled sharply and stepped cautiously into the timepiece figure. Standing in the center with exactly two feet between him and the candles place on either side, he slowly sat down and held his breath for a moment while his mind yelled at him to back out. But he wasn't giving in, he was determined to find Hermione and ask her how they could help bring them back. She was their main hope and he silently sent up a prayer to anyone who would listen, that he could find her and still make it back...alive.

"Now, Potter" Narcissa began in a strong tone as she stepped in front of the raven-haired boy and crouched down to his level. "We do not have anything of Granger, Weasley, or Zabini to grab at this time so, Draco's family ring will have to do" she claimed while handing Harry the large silver ring, imprinted with the Malfoy family crest. As Harry gingerly took the heirloom with his fingers, Narcissa quickly clasped her hands over his and spoke softly. "I hope he is with everyone but in case he's not, Draco is just as intelligent as your friend and I am sure given the circumstances, he will try and help you. I don't know what you will experience while Spirit Walking, but I do know that the further back in time you travel, the harder it will be for you to return to your body." She searched his green eyes through his dark-rimmed glasses to make sure he understood before continuing. "Listen to me, Potter, you cannot stay in the past for longer than necessary. You have one hour, though to you it will feel more like twenty minutes, so be fast, alright? Time travel works much differently then you or I are aware."

Nodding his head in understanding, he thanked the blonde witch before she removed her hands from his and stood up. Placing the ring into his breast pocket while Narcissa exited the sacred space, the boy-who-lived took one last deep breath before closing his eyes and concentrated on Draco.

Molly stood at the head of the hourglass with a very old open book in her hands and an antique silver pocket watch dangling from a chain wrapped around her right wrist. The former Slytherin Queen nodded her head at the witch before placing herself between Elizabeth and Pansy and taking their hands in hers. The group followed along in the same manner and took their positions around the symbolic shape of candles before clasping the hand of the person nearest them to form what the tome called, a strong energy bond.

Arthur then placed his hand on Molly's' right shoulder as Luna placed hers on the mother's left, closing the barrier between them and the outside world.

The elder Wesley began to chant in the dead ancient Egyptian language known as Coptic. She had studied the strange dialect for hours with the help of Luna, and together they had perfected the passage. Where Molly lacked on certain parts, Luna took over and vice versa. It became a team effort that they may or may not...regret later.

Strong wind began to swirl through the room, from where though no one knew, since there were no open windows for it to penetrate through. The invisible air shot about the library and slowly began to pick up speed in the process as it blew the hair of each individual, in all directions. However, the flicker of the candles only danced with the motion of the force as Harry stayed sitting on the floor and kept his eyes tightly closed while attempting to focus. The doors and windows began to rattle while papers flew off the desks and circled throughout the room causing everyone to grasp on the people next them harder.

But in less than two minutes, the chanting ceased, and the room suddenly grew eerily quiet. Nothing but the sound of papers settling on the floor could be heard and nothing seemed to have happened. Neville glanced at the mess scattered around him and was just about to release his hand from Theo's, when the flames of the pillar candles shot into the air like multiple baby dragons breathing fire in unison. The group startled at the action but kept their holds on each other as Harry felt a sudden push against his chest from a force he couldn't see, shoving him backwards and knocking the air from his lungs. His eyes went milky white as his body laid flat, motionless...and barely breathing.

Fall of 79 A.D.

Scrambling to her feet, Ginny gazed around at the vast green grass and hay fields before her eyes followed a single dirt road leading up to a large city encompassed by breathtaking mountainous scenery. The route held tall cream-colored walls with red brick colored trim on either side of the drab roadway, as it hosted hundreds of people walking in and out with horses and carriages.

She looked down at her warm clothes before gazing back to people mingling near the city's boarder. Thinking quickly, she turned around and transfigured her peers clothing to those of the crowd she recently saw. Dressing the boys in brown tunics and cleaning the blood from Draco's clothes, Ginny matched herself and Hermione in light purple and pale blue long tunics before realizing Blaise and Draco looked more like they were wearing burlap sacks. In fact, their ensemble seemed fairly modest in comparison to even what a middle-class person would wear. However, she barely had time to transform their boots into sandals before she was forced to quickly holster her wand, leaving their outfits as they were for the time being.

A line of chained, dirty, grungy men, escorted by a few soldiers that looked very similar to those of Rome but in all black armor, began to walk down the pathway. But as Draco lay on the hard ground, trying to not only control his breathing, but also wrap his mind around what he had done, Blaise rushed to stand up and looked around in confusion just as the people began to pass them.

"Are we back in Rome? Is this fucking Rome again?" he asked as he glanced around at his fellow classmates.

"Warm enough for you now, Zabini?" Ginny inquired with a sarcastic smirk causing Blaise to roll his eyes in distaste.

Draco fumbled as he stood and wiped the blood from his temple while Hermione stayed transfixed in a trance just opposite the three students on the other side of the road. The picture of Draco nearly dying at the hands of the dark-haired brute mere moments before replayed in her mind. She couldn't shake the image of the knife grazing the blonde's neck just before he stabbed the man with a broken spear. Without looking at her surroundings or taking in the fact that other humans were indeed around, so history was just fine, the curly-haired witch snapped her gaze to the Malfoy heir and furrowed her brows with animosity. Storming up to Draco with hatred playing at her heartstrings, she pushed him hard in the chest catching him off guard and forcing him to stumble backwards.

"You! You slimy, no-good, son of a bitch!" she yelled as she pushed him again.

Both Ginny and Blaise watched in mixture of shock and confusion as the brunette began to hit Draco over and over again, tempting the dark-skinned wizard to break up the fight before anyone noticed. However, he and Ginny both knew to not mess with the Golden Girl when she was pissed and decided to stay out of the argument that could easily turn on them just as quickly.

"What the fuck, Granger-stop!" Draco defended as he grabbed the witch's wrists to stop her from beating him. The pair behind them widened their eyes in horror while the blonde held firmly to both of Hermione's arms, and looked at each other as the bookworm struggled to free herself. "What is wrong with you, that's enough!" he demanded sharply.

"I hate you, you-you daft arse!" the curly-haired Gryffindor shrieked while ripping her limbs from the grasp that held them. "You could have royally messed up human history by killing that man! You're an idiot Draco Malfoy! A fucking bloody idiot!" Everyone stood frozen for a brief second in absolute shock as Hermione breathed heavily before them. It was a rarity that the witch ever cursed, but apparently the anger she felt for the Slytherin still bleeding from the head in front of her, was enough for her to give up trying to control the foul language spilling from her lips. "Fuck you!" she continued as she hit Draco solidly in the chest. "You could have died, you stupid, stupid bastard!"

As Draco rubbed the pain ridden area where her fist had landed, he eyed her skeptically when he realized she knew he hadn't mess up the past, because they were all painfully aware, she couldn't really ignore the herd of people passing by them. Concern riddled her last statement and it was clear as day that she was worried for him, though it completely threw him through a loop as to why. But before he could tell her he was okay, Hermione raised a hand and slapped him hard across his face; much harder than she had back in Rome and the meaning behind it was very different than he was used to.

However, when Draco raised his eyes to the angry Gryffindor, a burly soldier that had crossed their path earlier with the group of sullen prisoners, had apparently seen the fight and raced over to the group after hearing the ear-splitting smack. Pushing past a stunned Ginny and quickly placing himself in between the arguing duo, he glared at the pair with a menacing sneer before noticing the blood running down Draco's temple.

"Quid est hoc? he demanded, but when everyone looked at him perplexed and no one answered, he turned to Hermione and raised a finger. "Nunc autem dic mihi tu! Quod dat vos ledo ius in homine?"

"H-he wants to know what gives you the right to hit a man?" Blaise whispered after he covertly performed the language spell. The brunette witch turned her gaze quickly to the Italian as he tried to translate what the soldier was saying before looking back at the man and began to mumble. "It is none of your concern, sir." Blaise hastily spoke, in an effort to calm the situation and remove the man's attention away from the petite bookworm. "Please be on your way. It was just a lovers-quarrel and there is no need to bother yourself with such an insignificant altercation" he lied, hoping the soldier would listen.

The brute guard raised a brow before glancing back at the witch trembling in fear at his frightening stance. He then snarled sharply before back handing her across the face, knocking her to the ground and forcing gasps to be heard from the three people watching in horror. Hermione silently wept where she fell and held her left cheek as a bit of blood dripped from a fresh split in her bottom lip. Ginny darted to her friends' aid and checked on her before looking back at the man with a fierce scowl. Blaise began to yell angrily at the soldier he could no longer call a man, shouting at him that she had done nothing wrong to deserve the strike, while Draco...only saw red.

He couldn't explain the intense rage coursing through his veins, because he had never experienced a woman being punished in such a manner; especially a woman who didn't merit the slap in the first place. Though, in that moment, the blonde lost all sense of right and wrong as he gazed at the bruise blossoming over Hermione's crimson cheek while she sobbed into Ginny's chest, compelling a surge of raw anger to brew deep within him.

Clenching his fists tightly at his side, Draco growled as his grey eyes darkened and his magic began to crackle and spark. Blaise caught a glimpse of his friend behind the burly soldier and his eyes quickly widened in fear for the individual in front of him. He had already witnessed what Draco would do to survive, but something about the way the blonde held himself now, was different than anything he had ever seen.

Before the Italian even had a chance to blink, Draco tackled the brute to the ground, and quickly turned him over. Having had enough of the shite they all had experienced in the last few days, the blonde released his pent-up fury and began beating the guard with heavy fists. One hit after another landed hard and fast while blood began to coat the skin of his pale hands. But he didn't care.

He was no longer listening to screams of the girls telling him to stop as more guards approached and his wand fell from his pocket. He didn't feel the hands of his friend trying to pull him away while Hermione quickly wiped at her face, crawled over to his wand and picked it up, before tucking it into her bag so the muggles wouldn't see. He ignored the numbing of his knuckles from the beating they were being subjected to, and he sure as hell didn't see the tears streaming down the wailing man's face that was now covered in a mix of dirt and blood.

The only thing Draco paid attention to, was his mind telling him to harm the soldier for hurting a woman. As his right hand now choked the guard struggling to breath, the Slytherin continued to land blow after blow with his left to any part not covered in the red fluid. He poured all his frustrations from his past deeds, the anger from the arguments he wanted no part of, and the sadness from the hatred he was now exposed to thanks to the Dark Lord into each painful strike before being suddenly ripped off the man laying half-dead in the grass.

Kicking and cursing as he struggled to break free from the many hands restraining him, Hermione, Ginny, and Blaise watched in an overwhelmed daze. It was almost like observing a mental patient being dragged away in St. Mungo's, but instead of orderlies trying to harness a crazed lunatic, it was intimidating soldiers in all black armor, trying to contain the rage exploding from a very pissed off Slytherin wizard.

Not giving it a second thought, Hermione stood up and rushed over to Draco still struggling against his detainers in an attempt to finish the man off, while Ginny called out for her to stop. The three men struggled to hold on to the blonde as the brunette witch placed herself directly in front of him with both hands stretched out cautiously.

"Malfoy stop!" she pleaded; however, he didn't seem to hear or see her through his frenzied state. "Malfoy please" she begged, but he still wasn't listening. "THAT'S ENOUGH, DRACO!" she shouted, causing everyone's eyes to snap to her, including the blonde Prince.

Staring deep into her beseeching brown gaze, Draco instantly halted his struggling as his lips parted in realization of where he was and what he was doing.

"Hermi-" he began calmly but was quickly cut off as one of the men jabbed him in the gut with a sharp uppercut, forcing him to double over in pain as he gasped for air.

"By Titus imperator ordinis vel civitatem et Pompeiano, tu coniectus in pro an officer opprimit" one of the guards stated firmly and directly.

"Oh, Salazar, fuck!" Blaise expressed as his body went rigid before turning around to view the mountain behind the city.

"What?" Ginny asked anxiously as the men began to place shackles around Draco's wrists. "Zabini, what did he say?"

But the Italian simply ignored Ginny's questions, took out his wand and his money pouch, before racing over to the redhead, and whispered in her ear as he handed her the items. He then quickly pulled away from the stunned witch and rushed at one of the soldiers arresting his friend.

As the dark-skinned wizard tackled one of the men, Hermione worryingly looked to Ginny who had wide eyes as she held Blaise's wand and pouch in her hands.

"What is going on, Gin?" she inquired desperately while her eyes flickered back and forth between the boys fighting...again, and her best friends' uneasy gaze. "Ginny!" she urged as her body shook with impatience; fully ready to pull out her wand and stun everyone.

"Pom-Pompeii...Italy..." was all the redhead could manage to say, making the brunette's jaw drop in dismay as she looked back to both boys now subdued and cuffed at the ankles as well as their wrists, before glancing up at the tall mountain to her left.

"Shite!" she exclaimed when she gathered what was about to happen to the two Slytherins. Pompeii was not known for taking it easy on their prisoners.

Pulling out her vine-wood wand, Hermione was about to point it at the guard closest to Draco when a hoard of excited people began to parade down the dirt road. Realizing she couldn't stun everyone without being seen and potentially captured as well, the curly-haired witch tucked her weapon back into to her bag and ran over to the Slytherin Prince.

Throwing her arms around his torso, shocking both him and the soldiers, she reached down her right hand and grabbed his money pouch attached to his worn leather belt as quickly as she could before being pulled off and tossed to the side.

As she stumbled through the grass, Ginny caught her before she could crumble to the ground and both girls watched in unease as the boys were carted off towards the city.

"Yo-you still h-have the amulet, r-right?" the redhead asked with a shaky voice.

"Yeah...I uh, Dra-Malfoy handed it to me when you two were sparing yesterday..." Hermione answered, her eyes never wavering from the boys being sullenly escorted away.

"Good...Let's hope it take us all away before something terrible happens to them..."

XX

Thrown into a dark and dirty cell with barely enough light to see anything, Draco and Blaise both scrambled to their feet and reached the iron barred gate just as it closed in their faces. The guard laughed at them before telling a random man to lock the cell in the way of a wooden lever just barely out of their reach, and then walking off.

The dungeon was dimly lit by large suspended urns filled with flames hanging between vaulted stone archways. Prison cells lined the perimeter of a large cavernous Mess Hall supported by stone pillars and housing well over fifty convicts. The prisoners in the room ate sloppy meals from hand-carved wooden bowls but kept to themselves and didn't seem too eager to start a conversation with anyone. A few men, however, began to argue and fight in a far corner, causing armed bodies to rush in to break up the brawl.

Leaning back on the bars as the scuffle continued, Blaise sighed heavily as he looked around at the dingy damp enclosure. Draco, in his anger, hit the gate with his fist in resentment as he grumbled loudly, forcing the dark-skinned wizard 's gaze to flicker over him.

"How good are you at wandless magic?" he asked as he crossed his arms and leaned off the iron bars.

"What?" the blonde answered in frustration while turning to follow his friend into the darkest corner of their cell.

"Draco, neither of us have our wands and we are stuck in Pompeii with no way to communicate with anyone. Well, I mean I have maybe twenty minutes left on the language charm from earlier, but if we are going to survive this prison and get back to the girls, we need to be able to communicate. So, I'll ask you again, how good are you at wandless magic?"

"I'm alright, I guess. I don't really use it often."

"Okay, try and perform the charm while I listen in on the people out there. Once you have it down, I'll reset mine and we can then come up with a plan to escape that doesn't involve us disappearing out of nowhere, possibly changing something in the process."

"You think we can make it out of this bloody hell hole without changing anything? We shouldn't even be here! We already messed with time by getting arrested!" Draco retorted rigidly while crossing his arms. He grumbled once more before taking a seat on one of the flat uncomfortable beds near the back of the cell in utter defeat.

"That's my point! We can fix this if we remain calm. And as long as you don't murder anymore people, we won't alter anything else."

"I didn't murder that soldier a-and that bloke in the cave was an accident! It was self-defense!"

"I'm not arguing your sound reasons, mate. I am simply saying to not slaughter anyone else. Keep your cool and we can make it out of here alive, beat someone to an inch of their life again, and we are sure to be killed. Now, practice the charm without your wand while I listen in. Afterwards, I'll heal that nasty gash on your head."

XX

"Where do you think they took them?" Ginny worryingly asked as she and Hermione walked swiftly through the streets of Pompeii, searching for any sign of the boys.

The city was massive yet held so much natural beauty it was hard not to be amazed at their surroundings. It looked so much like Rome but more elegant in a way. The creamy white walls were much cleaner, and the terracotta rooves were in almost pristine condition, as if the city was just rebuilt not too long ago. There were still plenty of buildings that looked out of place however, older and more run down, but a good portion of the metropolitan area appeared to be in excellent shape.

The people dressed nicer as well and it made both girls think they were beyond the time of Caesars' reign. Which didn't sit well with either of them.

"Maybe we should ask someone if they know where they take their detainees?" Hermione suggested as she stopped walking and viewed the people chatting cheerfully around them.

"We would need to perform the spell to speak with anyone, Mione, and we can't very well do that out in the open."

"I know th...at..." Hermione stopped studying the faces around them when she realized they were standing very close to the monumental port, welcoming grand ships into the city's wharf.

The vessels appeared to be arriving from all over the world, or at least neighboring cities, with massive sails and twenty colossal oars to guide them. One after another the ships lined up as they waited for their turn to enter through the port gate into the impressive harbor situated between towering rounded walls. Two soaring steeples, acting as lookouts, sat on either side of the wharf as people walked along the top of the barrier to watch the extraordinary scene.

It was an alluring site to witness and reminded her so much of first year when they all had arrived at Hogwarts via small boats over the Black Lake. Except this time, she was watching sizeable Viking-like vessels rowing towards her, rather than small innocent children excited for their first day at the castle. Hermione, nevertheless, recognized some of the ships to be Roman, and a troubling feeling began to churn just above her navel.

"Mione...I-I have a bad feeling about this..." Ginny stated as she held her stomach with her left hand and stared discouragingly at the Roman ships entering the harbor.

"Me too" the brunette replied softly. "Let's just find the boys and get out of here...quickly."

XX

"Would you hurry up!" Blaise whispered through clenched teeth as he clung to the bars with both hands and turned his head slightly to his right. "We don't have all day!"

"I'm bloody trying!" Draco retorted in annoyance while holding his left-hand inches away from his temple as he sat on the shoddy bed. "Give me a minute, I think I have almost got it."

"Well 'almost get it' sooner! I think whatever this bloke is saying is important and I need to reset like now!"

"Shut...up!" the blonde spat as he tried to concentrate. "I can't think with you blabbing! It's bad enough my arms are killing me after fighting two people! I don't need your incessant whining on top of it! And why the hell can't you do this for me since you're sooo good at it?"

"I'm not that good at it, but to answer your stupid question, the spell can only be done by the person who wants to use it. I haven't perfected it enough to be able to use it on others."

Draco rolled his eyes as Blaise grew increasingly impatient. He didn't want to miss anything the man four cells down from him and on the other side of the gate, was saying. Raising his hand to his right temple, he restarted the charm and went back to listening just as Draco finally managed to perform the wandless magic correctly.

The blonde Slytherin quickly stood up and hurriedly walked towards his friend to see what all the fuss was about, when the two men sauntered up to their cell forcing the boys to step back in surprise.

"And what of these two, Felix?" the man dressed in stylish robes inquired as he gracefully stood next to what Draco could only assume to be the Head Honcho and the man who cuffed him. "I do not recognize them, are they new?"

"You do not want these...savages, Thaddeus" the guard answered, making Draco clench his fists to hold back the anger boiling within. "They were arrested after the blonde one nearly beat Magnus to death and the black one tackled Marcus to try and stop us from taking his friend away...I have yet to see what the Governor would like to do with them."

"So, they can fight?" Thaddeus questioned, intrigued as he looked both Slytherins over.

"They have not gone through training. Your money would be wasted on filth" Felix replied adamantly.

"But entertaining to say the least. New blood will arouse the crowds and I am sure it will please Senator Corvus as well. If he is pleased, then Emperor Titus will be pleased, which means the Gods will shower our boarders with more riches and people."

"But Thaddeus-"

"You want them to pay for what they did to one of your best men...don't you?" Thaddeus raised a curious brow as he looked to Felix with an impish smile. "They obviously show potential if they are willing to take on someone as large as Magnus and the rest of your legion...What do you believe the odds would be if we pinned them against that Spartan or maybe the Barbarian...or maybe even both?" he asked, making Draco and Blaise look to each other in shear horror.

"They need to be placed on trial and serve their punishments at the hands of the coun-"

"I run this stadium, Felix, and I will be the one to decide who is to fight. But I assure you, these slaves will receive a just punishment. I'll toss in a hundred gold against them. Throw them into the arena for today's sport, I wish to satisfy the Gods with everything we have" the elegant man stated firmly while tossing a full pouch of coins at the guard. "And if that means they are slaughtered at the hands of many men, then so be it. Get them a better ensemble while you're at it, I want them dressed and ready in one hour. They will fight first, and they will die..." he paused as he smirked iniquity at the stunned boys breathing heavily with panic filling their eyes, "first."

"Understood..."

XX

"How big is this freaking city?" Hermione grumbled as she weaved in and out of the massive throng of people dressed in beautiful colored tunics and robes. Ginny followed the best she could, but the crowd leading up the coliseum was large and consuming, making it difficult for her to keep up as they pushed through the horde of eager bodies. "We're never going to find them at this rate!" she yelled over the boisterous noise filling the metropolis.

"What makes you even think they will be in there?" the redhead replied as she tightened her arms close to her chest while trying to push past a woman and her child.

Hermione stopped walking when she noticed Ginny was farther away then she thought and waited for the witch to catch up to her before answering. Once the redhead was in front of her and had released an aggravated groan, Hermione grabbed a hold of her hand so they wouldn't be separated again.

"Didn't you hear that woman when we passed that tavern on the way here?" the brunette Gryffindor inquired as people shoved into her on their way into the stadium.

"No! I was too busy trying to stop some runt from stealing my wand off my leg! Almost punched the little shite for going up my dress! Stole his money pouch though" she claimed with a smirk. "Kid never saw it coming. He probably stole all of it from others anyway so finders' keepers. We can probably use the money to get into that place anyway..." she chortled while gesturing to the towering arena behind the brunette.

Hermione shook her head in disappointment that her friend would steal from a child, even if he had lifted the money from random strangers. But there was nothing they could do about it now, and they did sort of need funds in order to gain access to the hippodrome, so she let it go, and began to explain.

"She was talking to her friend, Gin, and mentioned how she hoped they had new blood during the remaining games this year" she yelled, but only slightly raising her voice above the chaos of the crowd.

"So?"

"So, I continued to eavesdrop, and her friend said she hoped the two boys she saw being escorted by a few soldiers about an hour ago, would be tossed in. Then she mentioned something about how she just wanted to see their sculpture...Whatever that means..."

"Their bodies, Mione! She wants to see them with their shirts off, ugh, which is how gladiators fight, not prisoners!"

"They're the same thing! Gladiators are slaves and those imprisoned turned into slaves, Gin! Those soldiers are going to want justice for what Malfoy did to one of their own. The best way to do that quickly and efficiently, is by making them fight!"

"Merlin's beard...they'll die in there!" Ginny claimed with wide fear filled eyes.

"Exactly! Which is why we need to find a way into the dungeon and get them out! It's my fault they're in there! If I hadn't gone after Malfoy for being a blithering idiot, then he wouldn't have tried to protect my honor! And before you ask, I am sure they're both smart enough to know not to apparate or someone could see them. But if they are daft enough to do so anyway, then we won't find them in there, and we can meet them where we landed."

"Can we please hope they are daft imbeciles...I really don't want another Rome on our hands."

"Trust me Gin..." Hermione stated with a slump of her shoulders. "Rome was nothing compared to what might happen to Malfoy and Zabini if they end up in that amphitheater."

"Godric, this is so fucked up!" Ginny exclaimed as she began to storm through the crowd angrily while dragging Hermione swiftly behind her. "I swear if they get themselves killed because Blondie chose now to be a fucking hero, I will personally see to it they are brought back to life just so I can kill them myself!"

"That's not how it wor-"

"I'll make it bloody work!" she snapped in annoyance.

Ginny was pissed at Draco for losing his temper, even though it was for a worthy cause, and aggravated at Blaise for joining in, though she knew it was because the Italian didn't want his best mate to go it alone. But now it was up to her and Hermione to save the foolish idiots she was starting to consider friends.

XX

"On your feet, Savages!" Felix stated in disgust as he stood outside the iron bars of the boys' cell with a large coiled whip attached to his belt. "Open the gate!" he told the man standing impassively next to the wooden lever.

Draco and Blaise had just finished resetting the language charm once again and stood from the flat over-used mattresses while adjusting the cloth strips covering their arms and wrists for padding. They each wore black canvas loin cloths, with leather sandals that weaved up their calves. They were allowed black leather padded leg armor that wrapped around their shins but were restricted from wearing anything that would cover their chests; a symbol of masculine virility, or so they were told. Draco half thought it was to please the women in the crowd after he overheard Thaddeus approve of their builds, but the other half knew it was to provide easier access to their exposed flesh.

Being previous Slytherin Quidditch players helped both boys out in the muscle department, though they still felt slightly uncomfortable to have a million or more people gawk at them, cheering all the while for their eminent demise. Now if it was just for show, neither boy would have cared, but since their lives literally depending on winning, they felt being exposed in just a simple clothed skirt, was less than masculine.

Part of them had also thought about saying 'fuck it' and apparating out of the situation they fell into, but they knew it would cause more problems than it would solve and neither knew if the girls would even still be outside the gates. If they left and the girls were out searching for them, they would have to make their way through a busy city without being identified.

Thankfully, they were both skilled sword fighters, taught by the best of the best, thanks to the belief that fighting with weapons of steel was a necessary skill for all pure-bloods. However, for the longest time Draco had always thought the skill was useless and he would never use it in life, but now more than ever, he was grateful for talent he possessed.

"How's your swinging arm?" Blaise whispered as the pair walked out of the cell and down the long-cemented tunnels.

"Sore. But I think it'll be alright" Draco answered covertly, so not to get either of them in trouble. "I appreciate the healing spells by the way; really helped a lot."

"I'm proficient at healing but I meant your sword fighting. When was the last time you picked up a weapon other than your wand...or the spear you used to murder a man in the Ice Age?"

"Can you stop with the murder shite! It was self-defense!" he retorted through clenched teeth.

"Whatever, how is your fighting? It's been awhile for me, but I think I remember everything I was taught" Blaise stated right before being pushed from behind to walk faster.

"I'm a little rusty but-"

"Enough talking!" Felix interrupted as he shoved Draco forward. "Turn left here!" he demanded.

Blaise and Draco reluctantly followed orders and began to walk down the corridor to their left. Glancing behind them they both noticed about six other densely built men trailing after them. Felix once again pushed both of them in order to have them face forward and continue onward. It took about three minutes before they finally began to see sunlight scintillating through a large archway and it only took thirty seconds before they passed under the open gate and walked into the massive arena full of cheering people.

Sand covered the oval shaped ground as high walls lined the edges to prevent escape. The entire coliseum looked a lot more like the stadium that held the 1994 Quidditch World Cup than the field the boys were used to practicing on at Hogwarts. It was a tiered structure, specifically designed to allow the audience to stand or sit upon stone benches while they viewed the sport below. There was no roof on the amphitheater as it showed Mount Vesuvius standing tall in the background, all the while giving the 'gods' a perfect view of their offering. A large raised and encased stage, that housed the Governor and his family, along the visiting Roman Senator, was placed closest to the ground but still a safe distance from the prisoners; a VIP section of sorts for royalty.

In the middle of the arena, sat a tall grey pillared stone encased with boulders and long iron chains at the base. Wrist and ankle shackles could clearly be seen attached to the ends of each chain, enough for all eight prisoners expected to fight.

Blaise gulped loudly as he internally cursed himself for being a good friend and not allowing Draco to go through this alone. Though in all fairness, he didn't think they would have to fight six well-structured men, who looked to have fought in the arena many times over. He only thought they would have to deal with being held prisoner for a short period of time before either being rescued by the girls or escaping their cell in the middle of the night. Now, he was beginning to regret ever tackling that guard to help the blonde out.

As the slaves lined up shoulder to shoulder, with good foot or so between them, eight soldiers began to chain them as the spectators continued to flood into the coliseum. But as the boy's hearts almost beat out of their chests, Hermione dragged a pissed off Ginny away from a guard the redhead was about to smack with a bat-boggy hex.

"I can't believe him!" the red-headed witch screeched in anger. "Not only did he not fall for my seductive charm as a distraction, but he out right pushed me away! If I ever see him again, he is having bats fly out of his arse instead of his nose! DO YOU HEAR ME YOU FILTHY VERMIN! OUT OF YOUR ARSE!" she shouted behind her as Hermione continued to pull her away.

"Gin, calm down" the brunette uttered with an eye roll. "He was probably just still in the closet and you weren't his type. Either that or he is really sexist."

"His type?" Ginny yelled as she stopped walking and stomped her foot indignantly. "I'm everyone's type! And why would he be in a closet? I didn't see a closest anywhere."

"In other words, he's gay, Gin" the curly-haired witch replied with a chuckle. "Come on, we'll find another way into th-Oh, shite..."

"What? What is it?" the fiery witch inquired before following Hermione's gaze to the center of the arena where Draco and Blaise where being tossed shields and weapons. "Ahhh, fuck me! I...am going to kill them both!"

The slaves picked up their gear from the sandy floor and stood up straight to face the Governor and his council. But Draco instead, glanced around the stadium to see if he could spot Hermione and or Ginny. Unfortunately, there were too many people in the stands and all their faces began to blur together from the distance he was at.

"TO THOSE ABOUT TO DIE, WE SALUTE YOU!" the gladiators around Blaise and Draco yelled loud enough for the whole coliseum to hear before hitting their weapons against their wooden shields.

"I am not saluting shite!" Blaise whispered as he leaned to his left so Draco could hear him but was quickly interrupted by five men dressed in all white tunics, encased with bright golden robes, and matching over-sized masks, hiding their identity.

"BY THE PATRONAGE OF MARCUS CASSIUS SEVERUS" the golden men began in unison just off to the left of the arena "AND THE GLORY OF EMPEROR TITUS, WE WELCOME, ALL HERE, TO THE AMPHITHEATER OF POMPEII WHERE THE BATTLE FOR VICTORY IS UPON THOSE WHO HAVE DONE INJUSTICE TO THIS CITY. A FIGHT TO THE DEATH WITH ONLY ONE...SURVIVOR..." they claimed while all five men raised a single finger at the same time.

"Only one?" Hermione gasped as Ginny grabbed her wrist in fear. "We have to get them out of there, Gin."

"Okay, but how?" the redhead questioned as her gaze lingered on the men facing away from them. "There are way too many people to obliviate and it's not like we can just jump into the arena and help them fight. Mione, I really don't see a way out of this unless the amulet jumps us. And for all we know, it will only take whoever is in range."

"We have to do something!" the bookworm stated with a stomp of her foot. "He can't die down there!"

"He?" Ginny inquired with a curious brow while turning her gaze to the witch beside her. "You mean they..."

"What? Yeah, that's what I said..." she argued while trying to brush off the fact that she knew she was only talking about Draco. "They...can't die down there."

However, when Ginny opened her mouth to retort, a large gate began to raise before the slaves, forcing her attention to be drawn away from Hermione and her apparent mix up. It was twice now that the brunette had shown she was beginning to care for the Slytherin Prince, and it made Ginny wonder if maybe the talk she and Blaise had interrupted back in China, changed her friends' mind about the blonde boy she once loathed.

The boys watched in horror as eight brawny, powerful looking men emerged from the shadows of the tunnel and Draco suddenly found himself doubting his skill set. Granted he was limber and agile, but one hit from the over-sized bulky men, he could only assume that they were the Spartans and Barbarians Thaddeus had mentioned earlier, and he would be knocked out in seconds.

He worried for his friend as well who was staring wide eyed at the heavy weapons the men were carrying, and he strongly wondered if they still had time to apparate away. Blaise however, had had a sudden idea as he studied the brutes before him, but it would be pushing their luck if their attempt failed...or he was seen.

"PEOPLE OF POMPEII!" Senator Corvus stated strong and proud with his arms stretched out to his sides with a bowl of grapes clutched in his left hand. "MAY JUPITER AND VENUS BLESS THE VINALIA AND HONOR THESE GAMES!" he declared before reaching into the bowl, grabbing a handful of the purple fruit, and squishing them together in his hand. "LET THE GAMES BEGIN!"

The crowd around the girls all stood up and cheered in delight while the boys stepped backwards and raised their shields; waiting for the first attack.

The brute men, all at once, suddenly charged at the eight prisoners as they released thunderous battle cries, forcing Draco and Blaise to take their fighting stances. As the largest of the men went after Draco, swinging his broad sword down like a hammer, the blonde raised his shield and blocked the attack; though the vibrations of the blow sent a painful shock down his right arm, forcing him to quickly spin backwards while swinging his weapon swiftly at the gut of the slave trying to kill him, but only grazing the flesh of the man's abs.

"Oh, my Gods!" Ginny expressed while clasping a hand to her chest and watching as one of the burly men clinked swords with Blaise. "This isn't a fight, it's a massacre! They are going to have to actually kill to stay alive!"

But as Hermione looked on at the fight with horror filled eyes, and more men from the tunnel entered the arena, a sudden idea came to her and she quickly covered her lips like she had during the Gryffindor Keeper tryouts sixth year. She whispered a softening charm against the strong iron chains to weaken them, just as Draco fell backwards and dodged a hefty blow from the large man he was fighting. When the sword hit the chain with a sickening crunch, it broke the fragile metal attached to the Slytherin, completely shocking both the man and the blonde.

Blaise, in his attempt to block a swinging axe, kicked the man he was battling in the chest before slicing his blade across the brutes' throat, killing him instantly as blood flowed from the wound. When he turned to face another attacker, he noticed Draco scrambling to his feet with furrowed brows as he stared at the shattered chain laying on the hot sandy ground; realizing belatedly that his friend was no longer attached to the stone pillar. Glancing up into the crowd, he spotted Hermione and Ginny behind him, and concluded the brains of their group was the one to weaken the metal links.

Sending a silent thank you to the Gryffindor Princess, for a deed he was about to do himself but struggled as he fought valiantly, he turned around to thwart a hit with his shield while simultaneously stabbing the assailant in the gut. Blood dripped down the tip of his sword before he buried it to the hilt, watching as the man's eyes widened in fear momentarily before rolling back and showing the white of his eyes. Blaise forcibly removed the sword and wiped a smattering of blood from his face before turning back towards the onslaught, ready to take on another brute.

All the while, the burly man fighting Draco shook the perplexing daze from his mind and turned around before once again charging at the Prince. However, Draco was much faster and dodged the attack before turning around and slicing the back of the aggressor's thigh, causing a painful scream to release from the mouth of the slave as he fell to his knees, splattering blood over the pale boy's shins. Sweat broke out across the blonde's brow as he quickly twirled the sword in his hand before walking up to the man, placing the blade across his neck as he stood behind him, and in one swift motion cut his throat.

His silver gaze was hardened as he was grievously reminded of the training he'd suffered through under the Dark Lord's reign and was momentarily grateful for the vicious Death Eater's he'd had to duel. Sweat dripped from his hairline as his heart pounded in his chest, but as he turned his gaze to the next target there was a resolve in his eyes that showed no remorse for the life he'd taken.

It was a kill or be killed engagement now, and neither Draco nor Blaise, were going down without delivering bloodshed to those contending against them.

While Draco watched the prisoner fall face first into the sand, he heard a familiar voice begging for his life, behind him. Quickly turning around he spotted Blaise with two burly hands choking him against the base of the pillar as blood dripped from a fresh cut on the Italians left shoulder. Throwing his shield at the head of the man, stunning him for just a moment, Draco jumped over the bodies of fallen victims and jabbed his sword directly into the side of the serf trying to murder the wizard. He then swiftly removed the crimson steel blade from the ribs it had impaled and helped his friend to his feet before breaking the chain connecting him to the pillar.

The pair then swiftly climbed the stones to obtain a physical and visual advantage over the men below as their weapons clinked hard against spears, axes, and swords. The roar of the crowd was near deafening as they fought from atop the boulders, slaying the barbarians below as they attempted to amble up the stones. Before long the number of men they were fighting against slowly began to exceed the number of slaves the duos group had started with. They had both lost count as to how many people they had slaughtered, but they had a strong idea they would later come to regret each death if they wound up surviving the bloodbath and carnage.

One after another, the prisoners in the arena began to dwindle until it was only Draco and Blaise versus four convicts. The largest of the men was a giant brute with a beastly axe made for cleaving through flesh and bone. However, the remaining three were sort of scrawny fellows with spears and swords, whom Blaise wondered how they even made it this far with their small stature. Readjusting their grips upon the sword hilts, they briefly looked to one another and nodded in understanding that this was it, all they had to do was surpass these four men and victory would be in hand. Taking a deep breath, the Slytherin boys turned back to the group and took a fighting stance once more, intent on hiding their exhaustion for a little while longer.

As the boys began to fight the smaller men, Ginny shrieked and pointed at the larger of the four running around the pile of stone. He quickly attempted to climb the boulders in an effort to ambush one or even both of the Slytherins. While a guard on a horse galloped around the arena and the crowd roared for the pair atop the pillar, Hermione tuned out the loud noises and whispered a tripping jinx, forcing the man to stumble up the boulder and grunt in pain.

Blaise kicked the slave he was fighting in the stomach with his sandaled foot before taking on another while Draco pierced a prisoner with a downward thrust of his blade, spewing blood once more across his chest. He then quickly turned to his left to witness the burly man trip and fall in confusion. It was the second time something strange had happened and he finally looked up to the stands to see the girls gripping each other's hand in fear as their eyes met his fierce gaze. When Hermione nodded once in encouragement towards him, he knew that she was trying her best to protect them.

Jumping down from the stacked stones, Draco landed in the sand as the Barbarian stood in anger and dropped down after him. Looking briefly at the ground around him, the blonde spotted a gladius and hastily picked it up. Now armed with two weapons, he turned to the man, cracked his neck with a slow tilt of his head, and readied himself in a fighting stance while crimson fluid that was not his, dripped down between his fingers.

Worn, tired, and covered in mixture of sweat and blood, the Prince flicked his blonde hair out of his face and smirked menacingly at the man staring him down. No longer caring about the crowd or the girls, or even Blaise who was holding his own with an injured arm in the battle for survival, the Slytherin focused all his energy into the nearing fight and waited for the barbarian to attack.

The pair began to circle each other while the crowd clapped and hollered for the clash to begin. Gripping both weapons firmly in his hands, he artfully twisted the blades with his wrists as he glared down his enemy. The man suddenly sprinted towards him, quickly closing the gap between them before leaping into the air and swinging his blade down in a single solid stroke. Instinctively, the Malfoy heir raised the gladius in right hand up to block the strike before attempting to stab the dark-haired brute with his sword. His attack was hindered but it didn't stop the Prince from swiftly swinging the smaller weapon fast and hard across the Barbarian's abdomen, forcing him to double over in pain as blood seeped onto the sand.

The audience shouted excitedly as the savage regained his composure and swiped his axe through the air, grazing the bare skin of the blonde's abs diagonally up to his shoulder. Draco winced as he glanced down at the cut but quickly lifted his head before the man had another chance to hit him. The dark-haired slave jumped into the air as he swung his axe down, compelling the Slytherin to deter the heavy weapon before promptly spinning around, throwing the man off, and slicing his throat in one foul motion as he brought up the gladius during his rotation.

The man's eyes widened and his movement halted, just as Blaise brutally stabbed the last of their opponents, before falling to his knees in defeat. Draco scoffed before raising his left leg and punting the Barbarian with his foot, knocking the brute backwards, before walking off to join his friend.

As the spectators went wild, both Hermione and Ginny found themselves jumping up and down, cheering and laughing, in relief. But their excitement was cut short when a horde of soldiers with long shields, sharp swords, and bow and arrows, emerged from the shadows of the gate and began to swarm the last two survivors.

The guards with drawn arrows circled the Slytherins and pulled back on their readied bows as the Senator stood from his seat and thrusted a fist out in front of him.

"What are they doing?" Ginny worryingly inquired as she held on to Hermione's bicep like her life depended on it, and the crowd began to chant 'live' over and over.

"Only one...is s-supposed to survive..." she answered with a shaken voice. "A-nd there are two...left."

"Merlin! Are they going to make them fight each other?" the redhead panicked. "They won't do it!"

"I think..." the brunette sighed "I think they know that..."

But as the audience continued the chant for the boys to live, the Senator clearly seemed to be warring with the idea of murdering them both. However, knowing he would have had to deal with a raging mob if he went against his people's wishes, he gave a reluctant thumb's up. As the spectators roared with euphoria and jubilation, the girls breathed a sigh of relief when the men holding the bows, lowered their weapons.

Both Blaise and Draco looked up to the mass of people filling the stadium and saluted the girls before the earth, without warning...began to violently shake.

Everyone began to scream in terror as some fell to their seats and others attempted to run. Draco and Blaise glanced at each other in terror as they tried hold themselves steady before the Senator raised his arms as the earth slowly began to stall its rumbling movements.

"PEOPLE OF POMPEII!" he shouted above the chaos of the crowd, however the sound of loud thunder-like grumbles continued on. "PLEASE, PEOPLE OF POMPEII, VULCAN SPEAKS!" The masses began to settle down and turn their attention to the Senator, giving him the drive to keep going. "THE GODS DECREE THESE MEN TO BE THE CHAMPIONS OF POMPEII! THEY HAVE BEEN DEEMED WORTHY TO STAND FACE-TO-FACE AGAINST THE MIGHT OF ROME!" However, as the rumbling sounds increased instead of fading away like any normal earthquake, Hermione snapped her attention Mount Vesuvius. "GREAT AND MIGHTY GODS, WE HEAR YOU SPEAK AND WILL OBEY!"

"Ginny, we have to leave!" the brunette witch urged as she began to pull Ginny through the stands.

"Why? The quake passed-Oh, mother of Merlin!" she exclaimed when she saw the fear embedded in her best friends' eyes.

"We need to leave, now! We'll find the guys later!"

"What? No! We can't just leave them down there!" Ginny spoke sharply as she pulled her wrist from Hermione's' grasp. "They didn't leave us in Rome, we can't leave them here!"

"We're not leaving them, we are going to find them, but we have to get out of here, now! I won't say it again!"

"You're not my mother! I'm going down there!" the redhead bit before turning away from her friend and marching down the stairs angrily.

"Ginny! Wait, no!" But Hermione's cries fell on deaf ears as the earth once again began to vigorously convulse...stronger and fiercer than it did before.

Ginny fell to her hands and knees as Hermione tried to stay standing, grabbing on to anything she could and failing, while the people around her screamed once more. Draco and Blaise as well, fell to the ground as the earth felt like it was trying to rip itself apart and a large fissure cracked and tore through the stadiums' stands. The archways leading to the tunnels collapsed in on themselves as the amphitheater began to break apart, leaving those still inside the arena with no way out.

But as the four Hogwarts students thought their luck couldn't get any worse, they looked to the mountain just as she violently erupted with a loud terrifying scream; venting thick grey smoke filled with hot gases and volcanic ash, from her crater.

The two pairs of students, along with everyone too stunned to move, stared up at the monstrous volcano while the earth below them continued to shake. Frozen in a mixture of shock and awe, their eyes widen with horror as the fossil grey ash column rose above the mountain, into the stratosphere, and began coating the sky in a thick layer of darkness.

_Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to some of the scenes portrayed in this chapter and the next. Some lines and actions were densely borrowed from movies such as 1997 Volcano, 1997 Dante's Peak, and 2014 Pompeii. Other notable sources such as Wikipedia, History. Com, and more, were also used to obtain information in order to accurately describe the era. All eras the characters have and will be thrown into, have been researched heavily as well; including Rome where not all prostitutes were required, though it was preferred, to have bleach blonde hair. Also, another shout out to Scorpia11 for dealing with my aggravation on writing the arena scene. She is literally a saint!___


	7. ...Fight to Survive

_"In the darkness you could hear the crying of women, the wailing of infants, and the shouting of men. Some prayed for help...Others wished for death. But still more imagined that there were no Gods left, and that the universe...was plunged into eternal darkness."___

_ _\- Pliny the Younger_ _

_ _Chapter 7- ...Fight to Survive_ _

_ _Fall of 79 A.D._ _

_ _The two Slytherin's inside the arena looked to each other with wide fear-stricken eyes as their ragged breaths caught and dark ash and steam billowed impeccably from the volcano's peak. It was a magnificent sight that none of them had ever seen before, though in retrospect they all wished they could have avoided the experience entirely._ _

_ _Reading and hearing about volcanic eruptions was one thing but witnessing it in person and as close as they all were, was mind blowing. None of the students could wrap their minds around the sheer beauty temporarily numbing them from the violence that was about to ensue. Although, the admiration of Mount Vesuvius awakening from her long slumber...was short lived._ _

_ _Shaking his mesmerizing stare away from the mushroom cloud surging from the crest, Blaise quickly jumped down from the boulders he stood on and struggled to gain his footing as he tried to run opposite the erupting mountain. Grabbing a still stunned Draco as he rushed to escape, the Italian raced towards the passageway they had used to enter the arena, praying he had enough strength to blast through the wreckage with wandless magic._ _

_ _It was only a matter of time before all hell broke loose and the dark-skinned wizard was once again far from thrilled about the location the amulet had placed them. The idea of jumping back to the Ice Age was far better than the fiery nightmare that was only seconds away from occurring. At this point, he would rather freeze to death than burn in an inferno of molten magma._ _

_ _But as the boys neared the caved in tunnel, the ground exploded beneath them as the coliseum quite literally began to disintegrate. The earth continued to violently tremble while it swallowed a large section of the stadium almost effortlessly, forcing Draco and Blaise to halt their running in a panic and turn around to sprint back in the opposite direction. However, the surface of the arena began to crack and split, forming a giant fissure that coursed through the sand with ease. But in that brief and terrifying moment, gravity ceased to exist...and the two boys fell with the terrain in what appeared to be an untimely death._ _

_ _XX_ _

_ _"HERMIONE!" Ginny screamed as she tried to stand, but the strangers running for their lives pushed into her making it difficult for her to get back to her friend. One had even roughly shoved her so hard she had hit her head against the stone railing, lining their upper tier and which so many were falling over. She cried out in pain as she gripped the side of her head where a small amount of blood was now dripping from and tried to stand. "MIONE!" she cried as she looked through the sea of bodies completely falling apart from fear._ _

_ _Hermione called out to Ginny, who she could no longer see through the chaos and the panic of the mob surrounding her, while shoving into men and women doing their best to escape. People raced passed her, falling over the edges of the upper level, and crashing to the stone floor before being trampled painfully into the ground. Terrified screams filled her ears and momentarily, she found herself back at Hogwarts. All she could see were the faces of the people she knew, personally or in passing, battling in the courtyard of the school on that fateful day. She quickly shook the memory from her mind because she knew Pompeii was not the war; however, the feeling of dread felt so much like it._ _

_ _The volcano continued to belt out toxic sulfurous gases the city would soon breathe in as she tried to reach where she had last seen the redhead, but the disorder and tumult made it extremely difficult. She suddenly felt a hand wrap around her wrist, making her eyes snap to her right and she breathed a sigh a relief when she recognized the soft warm brown eyes._ _

_ _"Merlin's beard, Ginny!" she expressed gratefully as she brought the girl in for a quick hug before letting go and looking her over. "Are you alright?" she asked while looking at a cut on the side of Ginny's forehead._ _

_ _"I'm fine! We have to get out of here!" the redhead replied before looking around for a way out._ _

_ _Hermione's focus suddenly turned to the center of the arena when she remembered the guys were still down below. But she unfortunately watched in turmoil while part of the amphitheater began to collapse into ruins as the earth effortlessly devoured the stones whole; taking unsuspecting victims along with it._ _

_ _The bookworm barely had a chance to release a sob while clasping a hand over her mouth, before a huge crevice split through the soil of the arena. Both girls' eyes widen as Hermione held her breath and watched as the ground collapsed beneath the two boys running for their lives; momentary suspending them in midair before plummeting into a cavernous hole. And even though it happened instantly, it was like everything had moved in slow motion._ _

_ _Without even realizing she did it, the brunette cried out in agonizing horror when she saw Draco and Blaise vanish before their eyes while people continued to shove into her and Ginny without a care in the world for the loss, they just bore witness to._ _

_ _"NO!" Ginny shouted as she took a step forward down the stone stairs, but the curly-haired witch quickly stopped her and began pulling her in the opposite direction._ _

_ _A stampeded was met outside of the stadium full of people selfishly pushing each other while descending the steps in a frenzy, causing others to fall over the thick gravel railings before being crushed under feet of the masses. Ginny wept while the brunette witch pulled her down the stairs and once they reached the bottom they stepped back, away from the hysteria and glanced up at Mount Vesuvius in all her glory._ _

_ _"Th-they're dead...aren't they?" Ginny asked with a trembling lip before lowering her gaze to the bookworm as the violent tremors subsided. "They w-went through all that just...just to-Oh, Gods, Mione!"_ _

_ _"W-we can't think about that right now, Gin" Hermione stated sorrowfully as the sky began to grow dark. "I-it's just us now and w-we have to get out of here..." she claimed as she tried her best to hold herself together, refusing to think of the blonde as he fell beneath the earth's surface._ _

_ _"I-I-I can't do this!" the redhead cried while gripping her head in her hands. "This is fucking insane! THEY'RE DEAD AND THE BLOODY WORLD IS ENDING!" she shrieked while pointing to the mountain as she quickly became unhinged._ _

_ _"Ginny! Get your shite together!" Hermione yelled as lightning began to crackle within the caryatid of billowing smoke. "We need to leave! Can you apparate?"_ _

_ _Ginny nodded her head, but a loud blast reverberated from the mountain causing the girls to scream and duck at the same time. The volcano's peak which was now entering its third stage known as lava dome buildup, began discharging extremely large and incredibly hot boulders and debris. The girls watched in anguish as a few of the over-sized rocks, crashed in the direction of the entrance where they had arrived at the city mere hours ago._ _

_ _Knowing they could no longer apparate to that area and still be able to outrun the plunging rocks destroying everything in their paths, the curly-haired witch grasped Ginny's hand while trying to think of a new plan._ _

_ _"The harbor!" she proclaimed when her eyes landed in the direction of the sea, but the girls had to quickly duck again as fire balls crashed into buildings around them._ _

_ _Children could be heard wailing and screaming as men and woman engulfed in flames burst from a ruined building only a few meters away from the Gryffindors, causing their breaths to catch at the gruesome excruciating deaths. Bodies laid in heaps of rubble, gone from this world, and all Hermione and Ginny could do was cry as they ran as fast as they could from the horrible sight._ _

_ _XX_ _

_ _Falling hard into the dungeon beneath them as rubble and debris from the sinkhole fell on top of them, Draco and Blaise gasped in pain while trying to gather their breaths from having the air knocked out of their lungs. Rolling onto their sides while trying their best to avoid the fallen rubble, they gracelessly staggered to their feet. Draco coughed a few times before spitting dirt and sand from his mouth and spotted his friend leaning against the cool stone wall beside him._ _

_ _"Are-are you alright?" he asked while wiping his lips with the back of his arm when he suddenly realized where they had landed._ _

_ _"I-I think so" Blaise replied with a cough before touching his fingers on his good arm, to the cut on his cheek. "Are you?"_ _

_ _Nodding his head, Draco began looking around through the cloud of dust beginning to settle when his gaze fell to a lever that rested on the wall by the cell they were once constricted to._ _

_ _Blaise glanced to the blonde also covered in cuts, dust, and blood and knew exactly what his friend was thinking before being suddenly interrupted by a reverberating blast coming from above. They both knew they didn't have a lot of time but in order to reconcile with themselves for the lives they had taken, they ran to the lever and opened the gates; releasing the prisoners still trapped inside and giving them a chance to live before finding a way out of the coliseum._ _

_ _It felt like forever as they weaved in and out of tunnels and collapsed staircases and they both thought they were permanently trapped in the dark and unforgiving dungeon. When they finally found a set of stairs that were still intact, something exploded through the wall next to them, throwing them into the hard surface to their right, but breaking the soft chains still attached around their wrists and ankles. Draco groaned as he looked down at his right arm to see several ragged cuts filled with pebbles and sand on the side of his shoulder from the impact. But before he could get a closer look at the wound, Blaise ushered him up from the floor and began running up the stone steps._ _

_ _As they reached the top and swiftly exited the stadium from a side door facing the heart of the city, they looked at the people running and screaming past them before glancing up at the destructive merciless force shooting molten rocks from its crest._ _

_ _"Hoooolllly...hell!" the dark-skinned wizard expressed in shock while holding his left arm in his right hand as a few of the convicts they had released pushed by them._ _

_ _"Hell...is a perfect description..." Draco stated in astonishment as the world around him darkened and the cloud of smoke fully covered the suns remaining rays. However, the apocalyptic scene was the least of his worries when a large fiery boulder appeared to be coming straight at them. Blaise grabbed the blondes' arm and began dragging him out of the way when Draco suddenly halted their movements. "NO, STOP! Watch it!" he yelled while pointing to the descending rock hurdling right for them._ _

_ _"Are you blood-" the Italian began but stopped when the ball of fire crashed into the land hard and fast...exploding to pieces right in the area Blaise was dragging them to. "Wha-how?" he asked stunned while turning his eyes to Slytherin standing frozen next to him._ _

_ _"Th-their lava bombs" the blonde shockingly explained over the chaos of the noise after expelling a heavy breath. "You don't move...until you know where it's going to land."_ _

_ _"How the bloody hell do you know that?" Blaise questioned with furrowed brows as people continued to holler and shriek around them._ _

_ _Right as the blonde wizard was about to answer he was quickly cut off when a large blast shot more magmatic rocks into the air._ _

_ _Stumbling backwards as they stared wide eyed, they began to run as fast as they could in the direction of the harbor. They both knew they couldn't apparate during the pandemonium without knowing the damage caused to the location they had entered at by the volcano's angry cries, and they also refused to leave until they found the girls...if they could find them._ _

_ _Making their way further into the city, the boys were stopped by a massive crowd trying to get into the wharf. They could barely see over the heads of the many people and were shoved and pushed as others ran past them. Draco looked in all directions before noticing a tall wooden trellis just to his left. Squeezing himself through the bodies as Blaise followed so they wouldn't separate, the blonde Slytherin began to climb up the espalier and glance around; hoping he could spot the girls by some miracle._ _

_ _However, a blast resonated from the mountains crater, forcing Draco to look behind him as the volcano's' dome exploded. The huge detonation ejected magma, rock, and gases into the atmosphere and almost caused the blonde to fall off the trellis from the invisible wave the sound had created. He turned back to see if any ships where left, however, his gaze lingered when he noticed something was wrong. Ships still at the port began to tilt to the sides as if something heavy was pushing into them. It was only a matter of seconds though, that he witnessed exactly what had caused the vessels to move._ _

_ _"TURN AROUND! YOU HAVE TO RUN!" he screamed at the people below as he waved his free arm like a mad man. The crowd looked up at him perplexed, since they could not understand the language he was speaking, but the boys' obvious panic and fright, was enough to convince a majority to rush the other way as an immense wall of water...headed straight for them._ _

_ _XX_ _

_ _"We're never going to get on one of these ships!" Ginny yelled while looking over the people trying to scramble on to any vessel they could before being pushed back or thrown off by guards and owners._ _

_ _Half of the fleet that was nestled in the harbor, had already sailed away while fire continued to rain from the sky, crashing into the cool sea and causing steam to rise into the air. Thoughts of Dementors attacking the school raced to the front of Hermione's mind as the heat that was being cooled at such a rapid pace, billowed upwards. Flashes of the dark heartless monsters emerged from the surface of the blue pond causing the Golden Girl to freeze in place._ _

_ _Ginny looked to the bookworm who was shaking uncontrollably with a fixed stare, before following her gaze towards the sea. At first, she thought her best friend was discouraged by the boats trying to escape the disaster without them, but when she noticed Hermione didn't shudder, even when boulder sized fiery hail crashed into stone near them, causing everyone but her to flinch and duck, she realized...she was hallucinating._ _

_ _"Mione! Mione, snap out of it!" she demanded while snapping her fingers in front of the brunette's face, however, Hermione stayed rigid where she stood. The redhead stepped in front of the Golden witch, but the brunette's eyes remained definitive as if she was seeing a ghost from their past. "HERMIONE!" she screamed, causing the bookworm to break from her trance and look to Ginny with a perplexed gaze. "Are you okay?"_ _

_ _"I-I...yeah, I think so..." Hermione answered with a shake of her head._ _

_ _"Alright, good! We need to find a ship!"_ _

_ _The anarchy was almost unbearable as the girls listened to the cries of men, women, and children, while looking around for an open vessel accepting citizens, before their focus was forced back to the sea._ _

_ _Lava bombs, big and small, continued to fall from the heavens and crash into ships, sinking them instantly and killing all those on board. Trying to hold back the heartache as they watched in agonizing horror, an enormous eruption from the peak of the volcano silenced the people below the mountain as buildings collapsed and the summit could no longer be seen._ _

_ _After the resonating boom that left both Hermione and Ginny partially deaf for a short-lived moment, the brunette witch looked back to the water's edge and noticed the tide pulling away from dock. Her heart raced when she realized what was about to happen and for a spit second, she couldn't move. The ships began to rock back and forth as the water receded, crashing them into the side of the dock and breaking them like they were small delicate toys on a playground. People fell from the wooded beams connected to each vessel and landed hard on the now muddied sea floor as fish flopped on the ground and the undercurrent continued to fall back._ _

_ _"Run..." she muttered in whisper as she looked out at the water beginning to build, tossing ships and debris like they weighed absolutely nothing._ _

_ _"What?" Ginny asked over the incomprehensible shouting of the crowd around them._ _

_ _"RUN!" she shouted while she began to drag Ginny off the pier. The redhead had no idea what was happening but what she did know, was that whatever spooked the curly-haired witch that much, must be bad._ _

_ _As Hermione drug Ginny through the thick crowd, others began to notice the wall of water drawing closer to them. More fear and terror filled their minds and they all began to panic as they too started to run, making it nearly impossible for the girls to get through._ _

_ _They pushed and shoved as they ran with the people, though Ginny still didn't understand why. It wasn't until she looked back and saw exactly what had everyone in such a frenzy that dread began to fill her lungs._ _

_ _"Ohhhh...my..."_ _

_ _"Don't look back, Ginny!" Hermione quickly yelled as she continued to try and pull them through the stampede._ _

_ _The redhead snapped her focus back in front of her just as the wave crashed into the port where they once stood only seconds ago before. As people fell to the ground, the girls had no choice but to jump over them as they ran for their lives. Broken ships slammed into the port, shattering to pieces and crushing anyone who was too slow to react. Thousands of screams echoed through the city while the torrent of water flooded the alleyways and streets, swiftly washing them away in a sea of deep grey-blue._ _

_ _Madness was not even the best word to describe the grisly scene of people being laundered into the depths of the vast tsunami, but insanity was the only term the girls could think. Nothing had prepared them to outrun a massive tidal wave, nor did anything prepare them for the amount of dead they would see. But as the screams grew louder more flashbacks formed in Hermione's mind, forcing her to try and shake the dismay from her thoughts before they got her killed._ _

_ _Every person she glanced at during her race for survival, was another person she knew from Hogwarts, and each terrifying cry led her down a dangerous path back to the school that was once under siege. Her thoughts where so scattered, she never saw the lava bomb hurtling at her until she heard the clash of rock against earth and noticed Ginny...was no longer with her._ _

_ _She had wondered when they had even separated, but as she stopped running and frantically searched for her friend, she prayed to Merlin she wasn't buried beneath the mass of the fiery boulder. As Hermione turned around and froze in a resolving fear, she didn't realize that in her panic she had ran beneath a stone archway nestled between high stone walls. However, upon seeing the water rush towards her she couldn't find the strength to move and watched in a stunned daze as a forty-five-foot Roman ship barreled towards her._ _

_ _She couldn't scream, she couldn't cry...all she could do was stand fixed in place in the middle of the cobblestone street as hundreds of people left her behind. But as her life literally flashed before her brown eyes and everything moved in perfect slow motion, she felt two strong arms wrap around her body and turn her around just as the torrent of water slammed the ship into the passage, inadvertently blocking its own entry as the archway cracked under the extreme pressure pushing against it. The vessel essentially acted like a stopper and plugged the opening, thwarting the force of water from swallowing her whole._ _

_ _Though the majority of the wave was stilted as it crashed against the rocks, debris and showers of salty water poured over the stone barrier while large pieces of wood and iron shattered from the ship...plunging directly at her. But while the brunette sobbed and waited for the wreckage to end her life, Draco produce the most powerful shield charm he had ever created in his life. Instead of using a wand, he inadvertently used rare raw magic that burst from his chest, encasing the pair in a powerful white shield while lumber and metal disintegrated into dust as it plowed into the magical barrier._ _

_ _The sea pooled over the top of the wall while the pair held tightly to each other and the Gryffindor Princess released a loud wail when the liquid merged around her feet. However, when she opened her eyes, she observed the splashing of the cold water refusing to touch her._ _

_ _The calloused hands that were protecting her slowly released while, for a brief moment, everything went quiet. Draco took a step back and turned around to see the rubble surrounding them as Hermione shockingly glanced behind her. When she saw a shirtless man with blonde hair running his wounded hands over his face, she could have sworn she was seeing things again, but when Draco turned around, she just about fainted._ _

_ _"Are you okay?" he genuinely inquired while walking up to her and touched her chin to look at the cut on her lip left by the guard when they first arrived._ _

_ _"Y-you're d-dead..." she uttered while raising a single shaking finger in fear and stepping back, away from the Slytherin._ _

_ _"What?" Draco asked with narrow brows, confused as to what she was talking about. "Granger, I'm right here..."_ _

_ _"No! I s-saw you...You're not r-real...This isn't real!"_ _

_ _"What in Salazar's name, are you talking about? I am as real as I can be, Granger" he claimed while taking a small step forward with an outstretched hand._ _

_ _"W-we both saw you f-fall...a-and it's all m-my f-fault..." she whimpered while shaking her head in denial before raising her tear-filled eyes up to him. "I'm sorry...I'm so sorry..." she wept._ _

_ _At that moment, the Slytherin Prince realized what she meant. He didn't blame her for attacking him in the field, he would have been pissed too if the roles were reversed, and she had every right to be upset with him. Shaking his head, Draco quickly closed the gap between them and cupped the stunned bookworms' face with both hands as tears began to stream down her dirt covered face._ _

_ _"Princess look at me...I am right here...I'm okay" he muttered before wrapping his arms around her so she could feel his warmth and know that he really was alive. Although, the salt emitting from her wet skin made him wince as she pressed up against the still fresh wound across his chest._ _

_ _Hermione listened to the sounds of his heart beating, his soothing voice whispering to her, and it took her a few seconds before she hesitantly lifted her arms and slowly hugged him back. When the blonde squeezed tighter, the brunette witch broken down and cried into his bare skin._ _

_ _"We thought you were dead..." she sobbed, but Draco only held her closer as he encased her head with his left palm, trying to calm the storm raging throughout her body._ _

_ _"You think a silly little volcano erupting can take me out?" he chuckled nervously before slowly pulling away from the broken girl in his arms. "It'll take a lot more than a fissure and lava bombs to get rid of me" he smiled tenderly. "So, it looks like you're stuck with me for a little while longer."_ _

_ _However, Hermione only gazed up at him; studying him as if she was making absolutely sure he was real, before standing on her tip toes and pecking him on the cheek, shocking him to the core and causing his body to go rigid in confusion. But he didn't have time to think about the action or what it meant before gravel, the size of every type of Quidditch ball, began to rain from the sky._ _

_ _Without giving it a second thought, Draco grabbed Hermione's wrist and pulled her under a small roofed porch to shelter them both from the rock shower. He sighed heavily as Hermione cowered in the corner, and he looked around as they waited for the shower to dissipate. The curly-haired witch however turned her gaze to him and eyed him like she still couldn't believe he was standing before her._ _

_ _"How did you survive?" she asked in an almost whisper while clinging to wall in sorrow, making Draco turn his focus to her. "We saw you fall into the earth..."_ _

_ _"Blaise and I only fell into the dungeon we were kept in..." he replied with a shrug of his shoulders. "It wasn't a far drop, though I lost sight of him during that tsunami..."_ _

_ _Hermione lowered her head back against the wall, removing her gaze from the Slytherin Prince, and refusing to speak...almost as if he had never said a word to her. It wasn't until Draco looked closer, that he noticed her scrunched up nose and her eyes squeezed tightly shut as she tried to keep from crying in front of him._ _

_ _"Granger...Granger what's wrong? I told you, I'm alright a-and I don't blame you for hitting me. I deserved it. I'm not mad at you." But even trying to reassure her that he wasn't angry, she still didn't look at him. "Princess..." he spoke softly, while trying a more friendly approach "Talk to me, tell me what's wrong-what happened?"_ _

_ _"I..." she began through a deep breath before the tears burst through uncontrollably. "I lost Ginny..." she sobbed into the stone surface._ _

_ _"Lost her?" he asked perplexed. "What do you mean you lost her?"_ _

_ _"W-we were running...a-and I kept seeing flashbacks of the war...once I snapped out if it a-a lava b-bomb crashed near me...I-I couldn't find her, Draco-I lost her. I-I think sh-she's dead..." she choked before bringing up her hands and crying hard into them, seemingly unaware that it was the first time she had ever used Draco's given name. "My best friend is dead!" she mumbled into her palms._ _

_ _Rocks of all shapes and sizes continued to rain down, shattering clay pots and landing hard and fast on top of unsuspecting victims, killing them instantly, as Draco reached out and pulled the Gryffindor into his arms. Holding her close to his chest he let her cry out the unimaginable pain she was feeling while trying to also shield her from the deaths occurring in the bazaar. He held on to her tightly with absolutely no understanding as to why he cared so much when a sudden piercing scream broke them from the moment._ _

_ _Looking around for where the cries were coming from, both Draco and Hermione saw a small boy wailing as his sister, who look no older than ten, tried her best to hold him back and drag him to a house for safety. Only a few feet away, a woman could be seen lying face down in the cobblestone with blood seeping out of the top of her head. The pairs breath caught when they both realized the perished woman was the mother of the two young children and without warning Hermione ripped herself out of Draco's embrace. Understanding what the brunette was about to do, he quickly pulled her back and pinned her against the locked door of the home they stood in front of._ _

_ _"Get off me!" Hermione yelled while trying to push herself forward to get to the children. "I can save them! Get off!"_ _

_ _"No!" Draco hollered, loud and firm while pressing her back against the metal entryway, while accidentally tearing open the wounds littering his chest once more and allowing blood to seep onto her pale dress. "You can't...change...the past!"_ _

_ _The witch's eyes shot to his with a shocked and angry scowl resting upon her lips._ _

_ _"You already did that by killing all those men in the arena!" she screamed as she once more tried to break the blondes hold on her._ _

_ _"They would have died anyway!" he yelled, silencing her instantly. Hermione's shoulder's slumped as she knew he was right, but she couldn't bear to see children in torment. And even though she was aware of what was to become of the city, it was still painful to hear let alone watch, as innocent children perished and cried out for their families. "Even if Blaise and I weren't in that arena, Granger, they would have all died by someone else's hand" he stated while softening his tone. "And if they had lived through all of that...the mountain would have taken them in the end..."_ _

_ _"I can save them..." she whispered in defeat while lowering her head. Draco still had her pinned to the door only because he knew if he let go now, she would run out into the downpour of rocks and he would have to save her...again._ _

_ _"I know you can" he said while lifting her chin with his fingers "but we can't...we can't do anything. Do you understand?" he looked at the curly-haired witch with pleading eyes but all she did was stare at him with tears brewing in her own. "Granger...please, do you understand?"_ _

_ _"Yes" she uttered with sorrow in her voice._ _

_ _"I'm going to let go of you now, okay?" he claimed while studying her closely in case she decided to make a break for it._ _

_ _She nodded her head sadly, but as soon as she did, silence encompassed them. No more crying could be heard, no more screams or panic, no one running for their lives or rocks pelting the ground...just an eerie calm of stillness encased the city._ _

_ _Releasing his hold on the brunette, Draco followed Hermione out into the deserted alley and dolefully looked around. To their dismay, the street was littered with broken furniture from merchant stands that used to hold everything from grains to textiles, but now covered bloody bodies of people they didn't even know. Burnt fabrics and ragged sandals once belonging to the people of the former beautiful city, were strewn across the cobblestone as if the items no longer meant anything to anyone._ _

_ _Buildings that once stood tall were now caved in or crippled as the pillars and walls holding them up barely kept them from collapsing in on themselves. Small fires from the volcanic debris and fallen torches were the only things lighting up the street anymore, but it was enough to see the faces of the dead they wish they could have saved._ _

_ _As Mount Vesuvius continued her wraith upon Pompeii, crackling lighting and thunder from the smog coating the once bright sky, Draco noticed Hermione was no longer standing next to him and he quickly turned to find her. However, she hadn't traveled far as he saw her standing in front of a building...motionless. It took him a second to realize it was the house that held the children and his heart instantly broke when he assumed from the brunette's stance that they hadn't made it._ _

_ _He wanted to say something, anything to take the pain away, but there was nothing he could do. Taking a step forward, Draco was about to call for her to stop looking when a large fireball crashed behind him making him duck as he covered his head in fear. Hermione quickly turned her attention from the deceased children, still holding one another as they laid lifeless on the ground, and to the blonde before looking up to the mountain to see more fireballs plummeting towards them._ _

_ _Before she knew it, Draco had grabbed her hand and started dragging her down the street and away from the literal hell on earth. Ash began to fall from the sky and instantly the Gryffindor Princess knew the volcano was nearing her final stages. Panic filled every inch of her body as they weaved left and right, dodging lava bombs, rubble, and mangled carcasses, trying to find some way, any way out of the city._ _

_ _When they came to another street filled with burnt corpses, burning buildings, and people screaming for their Gods to save them, the pair swallowed the anguish filling their throats and ran as fast as their legs could carry them; only stopping when they heard someone familiar calling their names._ _

_ _The duo looked at each other in confusion to make sure they both weren't losing their minds before turning around to see Blaise running up to them while holding the hand of someone behind him. It was hard to see through the thick ash coating their hair and skin let alone breathe through the grey poisonous powder, but when Hermione saw red hair swinging back and forth trailing after the dark-skinned wizard, the witch dug her nails deep into Draco's arm, forcing him to wince slightly at the nagging pain._ _

_ _"Ginny?" the bookworm whispered, making the blondes' eyes snap to her before glancing to Blaise and the unknown woman behind him. As Blaise stepped over a broken cart, Ginny walked up beside him with ash and soot covering her pale skin. While wiping her hair out of her face she looked to Hermione clinging to the blonde Slytherins' arm. "GINNY!" she squealed in absolute delight before letting go of Draco and rushing towards her friend. "Oh, my God, you're alive! I thought I lost you. I thought you were dead!" she stated while her body shook in relief and she embraced the redhead in a fierce hug._ _

_ _Ginny yelped in surprise by the sudden affection, but quickly wrapped her arms around the curly-haired witch as a small smile spread across her face._ _

_ _"I'm okay, Mione" she claimed as she pulled back, her hands still resting on the brunettes' shoulders. "When we were running, I lost you in the crowd, and then that fireball came out of nowhere and I had no idea where I was. I kept running hoping to find you, but then I tripped and was almost trampled, when Zabini emerged from thin air and picked me up." Hermione glanced to Blaise who sighed deeply as he half-smiled before she looked back to Ginny while trying not to cry tears of joy. "We ran until the wave crashed into the wall and smaller rocks began to fall from the sky. We hid in a building and put up a shield charm until it was calm enough to look for you. A-are you okay?" she asked when she noticed Hermione was on the verge of tears again._ _

_ _"I-I'm okay" the Golden Girl spoke but refused to talk about what she saw after Draco saved her from the crashing ship. She knew she would tell the redhead about it eventually but now was not the time. "We need to get out of this city" she said determinedly, before looking back to Draco._ _

_ _"We tried to find a way out, but there's just too much chaos and there are walls blocking every exit" Ginny replied while adjusting her ripped tunic._ _

_ _"The volcano seems to be slowing down some" Blaise claimed while looking to the mountain still screaming with anger._ _

_ _"She is just clearing her throat, Zabini" Hermione declared with a small shake of her head. "She hasn't even begun to sing yet..."_ _

_ _"What do you mean, Mione" Ginny inquired with uneasiness filling her voice while staring at her friend in concern._ _

_ _"She means," Draco cut in when Hermione went suddenly quiet "the volcano might be nearing its final stages, but..." he paused with a deep exhale._ _

_ _"But what, Malfoy?" the redheads' eyes snapped to the blonde in confusion._ _

_ _"But" he inhaled sharply, "Mount Vesuvius's final stages...is what buries this city in four to six meters of volcanic ash...from a pyroclastic surge."_ _

_ _"I'm sorry" Ginny chuckled while holding up a hand. "A what?"_ _

_ _"A hundred miles per-hour surge of super-heated poison gas and pulverized rock" Hermione explained without looking up from the ground she stared at, "swallowing everything and anyone...in its path."_ _

_ _"What the actual fuck?" Blaise protested while turning around in frustration. "You have got to be bloody kidding me! You're saying that ash clouds are real?" he asked when he rotated back to face the group. I thought th-that they were just made up to make Volcanoes seem more-I don't know-deadly...to keep people away from them? My mother used to tell me that what happened here was greatly exaggerated and-"_ _

_ _"Their real, mate..." the blonde interrupted while running his fingers through his ash covered hair, smearing the grey matter deeper into his scalp. "And we have maybe ten-twenty minutes tops to get out of this city before the mountain really begins to sing."_ _

_ _"How is it again, that you know all this?" the dark-haired wizard questioned with a raised brow._ _

_ _"I like reading about nature" Draco shrugged while resting his left hand on the back of his neck. "Volcanoes used to be my favorite...now, not so much."_ _

_ _"Really?" Hermione perked as if they weren't still standing in the middle of a metropolis literally burning to the ground around them. "I prefer tornadoes myself."_ _

_ _"Yeah?" Draco asked with pursed lips. "I always wondered how they-"_ _

_ _"Guys!" Ginny cut in, snapping the two away from the strange conversation they were having. "City burning, volcano erupting...remember?"_ _

_ _"Right" Hermione stated while inhaling a deep breath. "Okay, so we don't have a lot of time and we have no way to get four horses to take us out of here, the amulet doesn't seem to be going off anytime soon, and the place where we landed in when we arrived is now a giant crater, so..."_ _

_ _"So, we need to use magic to get out of here" the redhead added. "Okay, let's bust through a wall and run towards the sea then."_ _

_ _"You mean the sea that is half gone and filled with toxins from the lava bombs that crashed into it?" Draco stated while rolling his eyes._ _

_ _"We can't use magic in front of the muggles, just in case some make it" Blaise claimed soundly, making three sets of eyes turn to him. "We aren't too far from the barrier on the East side, if we cut through a house that is still standing and connected to the wall, we can blast through it and run through the field."_ _

_ _The group looked to each other hoping they could come up with any other plan that didn't involve outrunning a large cloud of hot molten gas, but it seemed no one could think of one. Nodding their heads in agreement the four students began hurriedly jogging in the direction of the cities border where Blaise had mentioned they should go. Hand in hand, so not to be separated again, they traveled about six minutes until they found an abandon house connected to the long tall barricade._ _

_ _As Draco and Blaise did their best to break down the door without using their wands in case muggles were around, Hermione studied the mountain for any signs of the surge, and Ginny kept a lookout for anyone wanting to trail after them._ _

_ _Although, it didn't take long for Draco to become extremely frustrated with the metal entryway and without preamble he kicked it in anger, opening it in one swift motion. Blaise stood stoically next to his friend, his facial expression showing he was unsurprised by the blonde's outburst and he simply waited for the girls to enter first as the blonde stepped off to the side. However, both girls were momentarily taken aback by Draco's outburst, with widened eyes and raised brows, before glancing to one another and shrugging. Each accepting that it was the most reasonable action for their escape...even if it was a bit unorthodox._ _

_ _Stepping inside the house, the four walked through a small kitchen that appeared to have had people sitting down for a meal before rushing off after the volcano blew. The hand-made bowls still had food insides as the wooden cups filled with wine spilled off the dining table. Not willing to linger any longer, they walked to the back of the house as Hermione reached into her bag and pulled out her wand._ _

_ _While pointing the vine wood at the stones, her three peers stepped back and waited for her to blow a hole into the wall. Seeing as she was the best at charms, Hermione didn't hesitate to take the lead. Inhaling a deep breath, the brunette witch cracked her neck and produced an impish smirk._ _

_ _"Bombarda...Maxima" she spoke strong and solidly, blasting the stonework to pieces without even batting an eyelash._ _

_ _Blaise stood stunned as he stared with a blank expression while Draco and Ginny began to walk through the unsettled dust as quickly as they could. Hermione followed shortly after while the dark-haired wizard tried to shake the amazement from his features._ _

_ _"So, no one is going to mention how bloody wicked that was?" he asked while stepping through the large hole in the wall. "Nope? Not even one of you lot thought about how brilliant that was-annnnd I'm talking to myself..." he sighed before jogging to catch up the group ignoring his obviously impressed statements._ _

_ _The four students continued to jog to save their energy, across the vast open grassy field, but unfortunately mother nature...was not amused. Mount Vesuvius proceeded to shoot fire from her crest, raining lava bombs the size of muggle cars into the city as she reached her final stages. However, a sudden moaning sound, similar to that of a modern submarine's metal bending from water pressure as it sinks in the depths of the ocean, began to reverberate around the group forcing them to stop and look back to the mountain._ _

_ _Everything began to move in an unexplained slow motion as the volcano's peak caved in on itself before the summit...released a powerful supersonic explosion. Magma, mixed with a billowing cloud of rock and gases, pooled out of the crest and began plummeting down the sides of the massive hill at a rapid speed._ _

_ _With quivering lips and wide eyes, Hermione, Ginny, Blaise, and Draco, all stared with horrified expressions as they slowly stepped back a fraction in absolute terror. No one even needed to shout the word they had become all too familiar with, before they began to run as fast as their legs could carry them._ _

_ _They had made it about half a mile as the pyroclastic surge began to engulf the helpless city, burying it in hot volcanic ash and taking all who couldn't escape with it. Before they could reach a safe distance, Hermione felt something snap in her right ankle and suddenly found herself falling face down in the grass._ _

_ _When Ginny noticed the brunette witch was no longer with them, she stopped running and turned around to see the Gryffindor Princess crawling as tears spread down her soot covered cheeks._ _

_ _"Mione! Oh, Gods!" the redhead yelled as she began to race back towards her friend._ _

_ _Draco and Blaise both instantly halted their running and sprinted back to their fallen comrade as fast as they could. Ginny was already trying to bring out her wand when Draco realized they didn't have enough time to heal the rapidly swelling ankle. So, in a quick moment of thinking, the blonde helped pick Hermione up, before scooping her into his arms bridal style, and began running away from the cloud rushing at them._ _

_ _"Stop, stop, STOP!" Hermione yelled as she lowered a hand that was wrapped around the Slytherins' neck to his chest. "Please stop" she begged as the constant jerking from the movements Draco was making, caused searing pain to shoot up her leg and nestle deep into her knee. Draco stopped his stride and gently set the Princess down when he noticed she was wincing at the motion. Her right arm still held on to him for support as Blaise and Ginny looked back at the impending doom speeding towards them. "I can't" the curly-haired witch sobbed while looking at the ground. Tears began to fall to the grass; tears she knew would be her last. "Please, just go..."_ _

_ _"Are you bloody mental?" the dark-skinned wizard questioned with fire in his voice. "We aren't leaving you here to die. Now come on! We've got you!" he yelled over the ear-splitting roar of the gas suffocating Pompeii as if it was nothing but a nuisance, while he grabbed her left arm and swung it over his shoulders. Hermione was now balancing on one leg as the two Slytherin's held her firmly upward, but she knew their efforts to help her wouldn't work...not now._ _

_ _"I'm just going to slow you down, Blaise..." the brunette uttered, no longer caring about calling her once enemy by his given name. She was considering him a friend now, she considered all of them friends at this point, and if she was going to die, the least she could do was say his damn first name. "We both know it..." she spoke sullenly as she looked to Blaise with pleading tear-filled eyes._ _

_ _"If...if you're staying," Ginny choked while trying to hold back the sorrow in her voice "then I am too."_ _

_ _"No, Gin-"_ _

_ _"I won't hear of it, Mione!" she claimed firmly with a thrusted fist at her side. "There is no time to argue and I am not going to leave you to die alone!"_ _

_ _"If you're staying, then so am I..." Blaise spoke as he looked to the heartbroken redhead before looking back to his best mate; waiting for the answer he knew would come without even asking._ _

_ _Draco nodded his head and licked his lips before taking the Gryffindor Golden Girl into both arms as Blaise let go and embraced a now crying Ginny. Reaching out an arm as he held the redhead, the Italian placed a hand on Draco's bare right shoulder and squeezed lightly before removing the friendly gesture. A thanks of sort...for being there for him over the last year. Snaking his arm back around Ginny's' waist, the four stood in the open green field and waited...waited for the death, they all knew was coming._ _

_ _The bookworm, wrapped tightly in the blonde's arms, looked to the enormous surge with worry embedded in her trembling lips. Sensing the fear emitting from the shaking of her body, Draco removed his right hand from around her waist and pressed a thumb to her chin. Gently turning her gaze to him, he looked deeply into her somber eyes as her bottom lip shook uncontrollably and her brown irises flickered back to the looming cloud once again._ _

_ _"Don't look at it..." he whispered, only loud enough for her to hear, causing her to tear her eyes away from their imminent death to him. "Look at me...Only me."_ _

_ _Hermione found herself sucked into the depths of Draco's warm grey eyes while the noise around them roared louder, but as much as she wanted to look to the cloud gaining speed, she couldn't pull away. She felt herself wanting to swim in the orbs that were dancing around her face and a sudden unwarranted need began to fill her core._ _

_ _Before she knew it, Draco began to lean down, and as he closed his eyes ever so softly, she knew then, exactly what the need was. And it appeared...he felt it too. However, the blonde's lips that seemed to be aiming at hers, diverted to her forehead and she felt a supple tender kiss linger on her skin, before the moment broke, and she was back to looking into his sincere gaze once again._ _

_ _Every emotion flooded her soul as Draco's short blonde hair blew around them while a gust of wind whipped through their entangled bodies, and Hermione felt lost in his fixed stare. Without even realizing what she was doing, she reached up and cupped his left cheek in her palm before sliding her fingers through his hair and brought him closer to her._ _

_ _Draco's heart stopped as the brunette slowly brought her lips to his and a feeling of euphoria washed over his body. Closing his eyes once more, the blonde Slytherin embraced the witch with his right hand and deepened the delicate kiss. Lifting her up slightly by the waist while still strongly holding her body to his, Hermione parted her lips ever so slightly and allowed him to heighten the experience as she cradled his right cheek with the hand that was resting comfortably on his chest._ _

_ _Entwined together and no longer caring about the burning world around them, Draco and Hermione felt nothing but each other's touch. The way his calloused fingers brushed against her petal-like skin; the way she pulled him closer as the kiss grew even deeper. Everything around them had disappeared while the deafening sounds of the city washed away. They no longer felt torment from the injuries covering their skin or felt remorse for their last actions. In fact, they didn't even feel pain as Mount Vesuvius's ash cloud began to encompass them._ _

_ _65 Million Years, 102 BC, 44 BC, 11 Thousand Years...79 A.D._ _

_ _Dinosaurs...Extinct reptiles the size of Dragons, but even some were known to be only the size of a common house mouse...at least according to Hermione Granger. Great creatures that once roamed the earth well over sixty-five million years ago and creatures, Harry Potter thought he could never see standing before him._ _

_ _Although, it seemed to be inevitable seeing as how he was suddenly thrown from his body and was now racing through time; trapped in an endless tunnel ripping through space as he witnessed moments of the past his four peers had encountered._ _

_ _But as he stood in a crushing embrace of fear and confusion while looking up into the large jaws of a colossal Tyrannosaurs Rex towering over him, Harry did his best to try and run...but his legs wouldn't move. Something was wrong, but what...he didn't know. Was it the dread of being eaten alive in one foul gulp by a reptile so ancient he would rather face another dragon than stand in the spot he stood now? Or did something go wrong with the ritual and as he broke through the barrier of time and space, he found himself stuck; rooted to the ground with no possible way of getting back to his body? Or better yet, was not being able to move just part of the process?_ _

_ _Questions began pouring into his heart and mind in that terrifying moment, briefly making him wonder if he even technically had a body to begin with. But before he could linger on the fleeting thought, Harry was pulled forward by an invisible force, straight through the towering dinosaur and into a hot sandy desert brightened by a blistering sun._ _

_ _A city stood before him, collapsed into ruins as over a thousand dead men and animals laid in heaps before a large smoking stone wall. Spears stuck deep into the sand while swords and shields scattered around the dead...useless anymore as it appeared there was no one left alive to use them. Looking down at his hands as he had a second to figure out what was happening, Harry noticed how transparent they were. Puzzlement began to pour over him, and he nearly panicked before he remembered he was in spirit form._ _

_ _However, a large red cloth caught the corner of his eye, breaking him from the confused daze while it drifted through the air as a soft warm breeze carried it over the yellow sand. As it came to rest at the raven-haired boys' feet, Harry tilted his head intrigued. He could only bend down as his legs refused to step forward, but he began to study the writing embroidered into the fabric. He couldn't tell if it was Japanese or Chinese, though he knew it was some sort of language based in Asia. Reaching out to pick the cloth up, his spirited hands passed right through the material, frustrating him to no end._ _

_ _It wasn't long however, before he felt another pull from out of nowhere, and it was mere seconds until he found himself settled in a large stone room filled with over a hundred men in tunics. Confusion filled his mind as he watched an older gentleman dressed slightly better than the rest, walk into the room and stand before the masses. But before he could decipher where he was, a loud piercing scream echoed off the walls and straight into his left ear, making him flinch as a young lad, not much older than Harry himself, went after the elder with a knife. Chaos filled the quarters as people ran in terror before the boy-who-lived witnessed multiple citizens begin to stab the older man repeatedly with absolutely no reason as to why. It was like living through a memory, though this time...he wasn't in a pensieve._ _

_ _Another hard pull tugged at the Golden Boy, ripping him through the crowd and stopping only when he reached a very cold very dark cave. Shivering slightly as a chill filled the frigid air and his breath could be seen in front of him, Harry watched as a strange shadowy figure walked into the entrance of the cavern. Dropping the large carcass from its shoulders before taking a step forward, the raven-haired wizard deduced that man had to be a caveman or sorts. His animal hide clothing was ragged, and his dark hair hung loosely in his face, but Harry hadn't the chance to get a closer look when the man suddenly charged towards him. Could the man see him? Because it seemed to the wizarding savior that so far, no one could see him. Though with the way the man was racing at him, it looked more like his focus was on something behind the wizard, instead of on Harry himself._ _

_ _And he appeared...to be correct._ _

_ _Barreling through Harry as if he wasn't even there, the caveman's body suddenly flung to the left just as the Golden Boy turned around, and a glimpse of familiar platinum blonde hair could be seen. Almost like a blink of a figure before the flash disappeared and the wizard once again was pulled forward. Although this time, he landed hard on his hands and knees into a grassy field...covered in what appeared to be grey snow._ _

_ _Pain riddled his palms and knees, but he quickly shook away the discomfort and noticed the snow fall on to his now visible skin. Raising a hand, perplexed because the grey matter wasn't cold like he had expected, Harry turned his palm over and touched the substance falling all around him._ _

_ _"Ash..." he said in a tone so low it was barely above a whisper, though it was more of a statement of fact, than a question. Lifting his face to the sky, he took in the dark surroundings before looking off to his left to see the source of the mysterious cooled cinders. "Mother of Merlin!" he expressed with wide eyes and a gaped jaw as he viewed the raging volcano showing more ruthlessness than Harry had ever seen mother nature procure. "Please don't be here..." he begged as he stood from where he was kneeling. "Please have moved past this...Godric, don't be here..."_ _

_ _However, to the Gryffindors' dismay, he saw four figures about a mile and a half away jogging in his direction. Instinctively he took a step forward, before realizing...he could move. Shaking away the astonishment, Harry began to run in the groups direction while calling out for them. Though in his pursuit to reach his lost peers, a swift unexpected blast reverberated his body as the mountain in front of him screamed._ _

_ _Stumbling backwards as a sound wave blasted into him, Harry looked back to the now panicked figures running for their lives. Although it appeared, they might actually make it to him, someone tripped and fell causing the remaining three to halt their strides and turn back. Alarm settled deep into the raven-haired boys' gut and he quickly darted after the group as a large blooming cloud descended upon them._ _

_ _They didn't seem to hear his screams for them to keep going, or his cries of worry when he noticed them all just standing around and embracing each other. Realizing the person who fell must be too hurt to keep going, dread filled Harry's mind, forcing him to run faster. He was about half a mile away now, and he could see which figure was who. After understanding that it was Hermione that was injured as Draco Malfoy of all people, held tightly on to her, the Golden boy-who-lived watched in bewilderment as the blonde leaned down and left a lingering kiss upon his best friends' forehead._ _

_ _Ceasing his race to get to his peers, Harry looked on in perplexity and amazement as a bright green light began to glow from his friends beaded bag around her wrist. But he became distracted from the illuminating shine when Hermione lifted a hand and brought Draco's lips...to hers. He didn't know whether he wanted to try and break them up or cry because he now knew, the only reason the person he called a sister would kiss their ex-enemy, was in result of them thinking they were going to die._ _

_ _His eyes grew wide as he quickly looked away and glanced to Ginny nestled deep in Blaise's arms; his heart shattering into a million pieces as he watched his ex-girlfriend finding comfort in another. But the green light promptly began encasing his peers, removing his dispirited gaze off the pair, before the group suddenly vanished in front of him...just as the ash cloud plunged into four._ _

_ _Stepping back when the sudden realization that he wasn't being transported again, Harry braced himself as the impact of the surge washed over him. His body abruptly felt like it was burning in a thousand eternal flames while his mouth filled with a fiery ash. He could no longer breathe as the smoke and volcanic cinders burned through his lungs and immersed his spirit in flaming orange embers. He could no longer see either as the darkness blinded him and his skin melted away in an instant. However, through his mind-numbing suffering and racing thoughts of death, Harry's skeleton screamed in excruciating pain while he wished in agony...to just go home._ _

_ _Thursday, May 6th, 1999_ _

_ _It had been forty-five minutes since the boy-who-lived had gone motionless, and forty-five long harrowing minutes that the group of ten surrounding the Gryffindor laying on the floor, had stayed in their formation. Refusing to break the energy bond giving Harry the power to walk through time, everyone began sweating profusely as he took their strength. Their hands became clammy as the candles shooting fire from their wicks, heated the room to an almost unbearable temperature. Though no one wanted to release their grips and instead waited for the Chosen One to return._ _

_ _Harry had fifteen minutes left on the clock and Narcissa began to grow increasingly worried that it wasn't enough time. However, a hint of sulfur filled their noses as smoke began to rise around the unconscious boy settled on her marble tiles, forcing everyone to raise a brow in confusion. But a loud resounding noise permeated the room, causing the group to look back at the map._ _

_ _Tilting her head as her heart slowed, Molly glanced at the blood pool slowly moving across the surface of the wall before coming to a stop on London, England. Yet before she had time to look at the date, Harry's chest suddenly arched off the ground as he inhaled a large painful sounding gasp._ _

_ _Whipping her head back to the raven-haired boy begging for air as he rolled to his side, Molly quickly dropped the book and pocket watch in her hands and rushed to the hyperventilating Gryffindor choking up blood._ _

_ _"Harry!" she cried out while Narcissa and McGonagall raced to the wizard's aid. "Harry what happened?" she panicked while Lady Malfoy pulled out her wand._ _

_ _Though the former Slytherin Queen paused momentarily as she looked down at the blood Harry was coughing up and saw black clotting specks floating in the fluid. Dread filled her lungs, but she quickly began preforming healing spells on the boy before summoning a sleeping draught to knock him out as he healed. It was painfully obvious that Harry needed to rest, and she knew he would eventually be alright; however, something was not sitting right with her._ _

_ _After calling her elves to help put Potter to bed, Molly and the others went to stay with him as Narcissa examined the blood soaking her alabaster flooring._ _

_ _"What is it?" Professor McGonagall inquired as she stepped up to the blonde kneeling on the ground. "What's wrong?"_ _

_ _"Minerva..." she spoke with unease. "What does this look like to you?" she asked while pointing to a clot in the liquid._ _

_ _"That's strange..." the headmistress replied while crouching down and bringing out her wand. "It appears to look like...crushed rock."_ _

_ _"Why would he be coughing up rocks?"_ _

_ _"That's a very good question..." Professor McGonagall pointed her long-wooden wand at the blood and preformed a revealing charm to try and identify the contents. When the spell reported the matter settled in the crimson fluid, both women gasped in absolute shock. "It-it can't be..."_ _

_ _Narcissa's eyes widened as she shook her head in repudiation._ _

_ _"Why...is volcanic ash...in Potter's lungs? Where the hell are our children, Minerva?" she demanded with a cry while flicking her gaze to the Headmistress. "What happened to my son?"_ _


	8. Conflicting Emotions

Chapter 8- Conflicting Emotions

Thursday, May 6th, 1999

“How is he?” Narcissa questioned as she and Professor McGonagall entered the large black and grey bedroom Ron and Harry had chosen for their sleeping arrangements and closed the door gently behind her.

“He’s perspiring more fluids than we can put in” Molly replied with concern dripping on every word as she sat on the edge of the bed the raven-haired boy was laying on. His eyes were closed but beads of sweat riddled his forehead as his body soaked the sheets under him. “Cooling charms aren’t working, and he has a fever that refuses to break. I-I don’t understand. D-did something go wrong? I thought we did everything right…Did-did I mess up?” she inquired with a crack in her voice as she tried to stay strong for the boy she had practically raised since he was twelve.

“It wasn’t the ritual, Molly” Narcissa claimed in an almost whisper. “You did everything right.” She and Molly may have had many differences on how they viewed things in life, but they were both mothers, and she understood the overwhelming grief the redhead was feeling. There wasn’t a bone in her body that didn’t empathize with the woman doing her best to hold herself together in front of everyone. And for the first time since Narcissa had known the elder Weasley, she felt pity for the mother who didn’t have all the answers. “We found something…” she stated with a deep sigh while moving to stand nervously at the end of the bed. “A few things, actually…”

“What do you mean?” Robert asked while gliding his fingers through his dark brown hair before anyone else in the room had a chance to speak. “What did you find?”

Ten sets of worried eyes looked to the former Slytherin Queen while McGonagall lowered her head and calmly crossed her hands in front of her.

“Well…” the elder Malfoy began “Minerva and I looked at the blood Potter coughed up. T-there were strange black clots so…we used a spell to analyze them...”

“Just tell us, Narcissa” Arthur exhaled as he awaited the bad news he knew was coming.

“It was volcanic ash” she responded as she glanced around at the confused faces surrounding her.

“I-I don’t understand” Elizabeth stated with a hand to her chest.

“Neither do we” McGonagall chimed in. “The only thing that makes sense…is that Mr. Potter was possibly in an era where a volcano erupted. Which means-”

“Our children” Molly whispered with a quivering lip.

“Oh, God” Elizabeth muttered while clasping the hand resting on her chest, over her mouth. “Hermione…”

Robert pulled his wife into his arms and held her as Arthur placed a hand gently on Molly’s shoulder.

“There is good news though” the blonde mother quickly proclaimed when the room almost burst into hysterics. “However, it’s not the best…They’re in London, but-”

“London?” Theo questioned with a perplexed expression. “If they’re in London, then that means their okay, right? Right, Mrs. Malfoy?”

“It would seem so, but we won’t know until Mr. Potter is better and can tell us what happened” McGonagall uttered softly.

“I’m confused…” Pansy spoke with a raised hand and a scrunched brow. “The closest active volcano to London is Mount Vesuvius, but that’s just over a thousand miles away in Italy and it’s last eruption was in 1944. How could Potter be anywhere near it? Did he not end up in the same area as everyone else?”

“We don’t know” the headmistress answered with a deep sigh. “Again, Ms. Parkinson, we won’t know anything until Mr. Potter wakes up. I have sent an emergent Owl to Madam Pomfrey. Hopefully she can help the boy with his predicament. If not…we’ll have to call St. Mungo’s and issue a report, which I would rather not do. I don’t want this getting out. We have also floo’d Bethany Woodrow in as well to see if she can help in anyway. She won’t arrive however, until after her shift ends at the museum.”

“Wait…if they’re in London,” Ron cut in, obviously not paying attention to a word Pansy or McGonagall just said. “then that means their home, aren’t they? Why are we not going to get them? Why aren’t we happier about this?”

“It’s not what-”

“You just said they’re in London, Professor. We need to get them” he declared as his chest rose in fell in a steady beat, with a mixture of happiness and confusion filling his mind.

“In 1349…” Narcissa interrupted with sorrow emitting from her voice as she shut her eyes and folded in her lips before inhaling sharply. The room instantly went quiet as they looked to the Malfoy in bewilderment. “They are in London, England…March…1349.”

“But-but that’s when-” Luna began as her eyes darted back and forth unseeingly as she thought heavily about the year.

“The Bubonic Plague…” McGonagall proclaimed as the Ravenclaw lifted her widened eyes to the Professor.

“Also known,” Lady Malfoy spoke reluctantly “as The Black Death.”

March of 1349

“I swear to Merlin, that amulet is trying to fuck with us!” Ginny claimed while gritting her teeth in anger. She and Blaise had removed themselves from the hard dirt and began to look around the abandoned grey alleyway lined with wood and stone walls as droplets of rain drizzled around them. “That thing must think it’s funny to have us almost swallowed whole by a large ash cloud then suddenly dump us…wherever the hell this is, away from our friends…again!”

“I don’t think the amulet has a conscious that would purposely fuck with us, Red…Though for some reason I can imagine a tiny little man inside laughing his arse off…” Blaise claimed while trying to hold back a laugh at the description forming in his head.

“Ugh!” the redhead groaned in irritation while stomping her foot and exhaling sharply. “Is it too much to ask the damn thing to place us in a time period with a shower and soap?”

“It’s not a genie, Red. It’s not going to grant us three wishes.”

“You know what, let’s…” she inhaled a deep breath before letting it out slowly “let’s just find Mione and Blondie and figure out where the hell we are now. I am seriously getting sick of this guessing game” she claimed as she began walking down the alleyway. “Why the hell can’t that thing just tell us where it’s dropping us off at before it jumps us?”

“Would make things a lot easier but won’t stop the painful crashing to the ground part. That’s the only thing I really care about. My muscles are sore enough after fighting, I would greatly prefer not landing on my back every single time.”

As the pair rounded the corner to the right, they found themselves walking through another alley filled with stone walls. Frustrated and annoyed they continued onward through the maze as a rank smell filled their nostrils. They glanced around but there didn’t seem to be any source for the sour stench, so they kept going until they turned left and found the missing pair they were searching for in the back of a dead end.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Ginny began marching up to the duo staring at each other oddly as she mumbled about how much she hated the amulet. However, as they grew closer, Blaise could see something the redhead was obviously missing, and it made him question why his friends were looking at each other like they had done something neither of them wanted to talk about.

Draco and Hermione both had their backs planted hard against opposite walls with flushed cheeks as they panted heavily in confusion. Their lips were slightly parted, and their eyes told a story that Blaise desperately wished he knew. But as Ginny pulled Hermione into a hug, careful not to throw the brunette off balance due to her twisted ankle, the dark-haired wizard tilted his head while raising a brow.

Though the wavy-haired witch had removed her gaze from the blonde still intently staring at her, she slowly flickered her eyes back to him while hugging her best friend, almost like she wanted to say something, but couldn’t.

Ginny suddenly pulled away and surprisingly moved to hug Draco who still did not remove his fixed eyes away from the bookworm, even as he unconsciously embraced the redhead in return. Something was off, and Blaise was determined to figure out what.

“So, where do you suppose we are?” he asked, hoping to break the awkward moment between the Gryffindor Princess and the Slytherin Prince.

“I-I don’t know…” Hermione replied while slowly removing her brown eyes off Draco. “I-uh…I…” she paused for a moment to finally take in their surroundings before looking back to Blaise as she shook her head and raised a hand to her forehead. “I-I would need to see more of the landscape, before…” she unsubtly looked back to the blonde before snapping her gaze behind her “before I can say for sure where and when we are.”

“Oh-kay…Are you alright, Mione?” Ginny frowned with a slight tilt of her head. “Maybe we should find somewhere to sit down. Your ankle is really swollen, and we did almost just die.”

“I can carry her” Draco blurted out unintentionally. He didn’t mean to speak his thoughts aloud, but he was dying to get close to the Golden Girl after the kiss in Pompeii left him confused and wanting more of her. He couldn’t figure out why he enjoyed the feeling of her lips brushing his or her body pressed firmly against his chest, but his mind was begging for him to devour her fully between the sheets. He could still see the smear his fingers left through the soot on her left cheek and he had to fight against the painful urge to capture her lips once more, part the thin seam between the delicate skin of her mouth, press his tongue to hers, and taste her for the first time.

Everything about the idea however, screamed that it was wrong to want her, wrong to feel the need to run his fingers skillfully up her arms, to touch her in ways he knew she had never been touched before. “I-I mean, if she would like?” he stated as his thoughts drifted to if the brunette would even want him to touch her again after the reaction she gave when they arrived in the mysterious era.

She appeared shocked and a little scared when they’d landed in the damp alleyway and scrambled out of his embrace as they laid on the dirt ground. He had never seen a girl move so quickly just to get away from him, yet Hermione Granger acted as if he was about to kill her…instead of kiss her again.

“That’s okay, Malfoy” Ginny spoke softly, interrupting his thoughts and placing an uncontrollable frown upon his lips “I can get her. Thanks though” she smiled up at him before placing Hermione’s left arm over her shoulders.

As the girls began to walk slowly away, Draco watched as the wavy-haired witch turned her head and glanced at him with slightly parted lips before turning around and allowing the redhead to guide her back down the alley.

“Um, so I don’t want to interrupt your daydream,” Blaise proclaimed before pinching his lips together in curiosity “but uh…you wanna tell me what that was all about?”

The blonde Slytherin quickly snapped his gaze to his friend before answering ‘no’, shaking his head, and walking off, leaving Blaise momentarily alone to contemplate the thousand questions filling his mind.

“Well I’m glad we are all alive!” he shouted while cupping his mouth. “You’re welcome Blaise, for willing to die with me in that smoldering inferno heated wall of death!” His friends however ignored him, except for Hermione who waved a hand in the air before saying ‘thank you’, and he shook his head with a small chuckle before trailing after the trio.

As the group maneuvered their way through the twists and turns of the long alley, Draco had a strange feeling that he recognized the area they were walking through. But he quickly shrugged it off and followed slowly behind the girls limping steadily ahead of him. When they finally managed to reach an exit, the light drizzle began to fall a bit harder, forcing Ginny to transfigure their clothing into dark hooded cloaks.

Once they were fully covered from the wetness surrounding them, the group began to make their way down the semi-darkened street, lit by only a few oil lamps and the sun setting behind the grey clouds, as they tried to find somewhere to rest. After about two minutes of slow pace walking, the four students realized how abandoned the town was. There wasn’t a soul walking on the now muddy and puddle filled road to copy an outfit from, nor were there any stray animals out and about. It was a bizarre quiet enveloping the wooden cruck-like buildings and it appeared they were stranded in a ghost town.

It wasn’t until Draco spotted small flickers of candlelight in a few windows and one person even quickly closing the curtains in another, that he concluded humans were indeed around. An eerie feeling began to sit uncomfortably in the pit of his stomach as a putrid odor began to fill the air.

“Does anyone else smell that?” Blaise questioned while pinching his nose with his fingers, stopping the group from moving forward.

“Yeah…” Hermione replied while looking around with disgust written all over her features. “What is it?”

“I smelt it back in the alleyway before we found you” Ginny claimed with a scrunched nose. “It smells like death and…sewage.”

“Is that why this place feels so…empty?” the dark-skinned wizard inquired before glancing to Draco who was eyeing a couple with a small child walking down the foggy street acting very odd and secretive.

Though, no one had a chance to answer as Draco walked past his three peers and began slyly following the reticent pair whispering to the small boy as they started walking down a dank alley. Something wasn’t sitting right with him and he had a strong feeling that that couple would be able to give him a hint as to what the hell was going on with the town.

Hermione, Blaise, and Ginny looked to each other in confusion before Blaise threw Hermione’s right arm over his shoulders so they could walk faster and followed the blonde who was now peeking around a corner.

“Draco,” Blaise whispered as he released the brunette, “what are you doing?”

“Shhh!” the blonde declared while waving a hand behind him.

Blaise raised a brow but quickly nodded to the girls to follow Draco’s lead. Ginny immediately rushed to the other side of the entryway as Blaise followed so they too could peek around the corner and watch the strange family, leaving Hermione to awkwardly limp towards Draco.

Seeing the bookworm approach, Draco moved back slightly to allow her to lean against the wall for support before reaching around her to see over the top of her head. Her body stiffed slightly when his arm brushed against her shoulder before relaxing as his chest pressed up against her back, preventing her from falling over as she balanced on one foot.

Even through the rancid odor of the town and the scent of volcanic soot covering the Gryffindor in front of him, she still smelled amazing and he had to stop himself from nudging his cheek against her. He knew he shouldn’t want her, and he had to keep reminding himself that it would never happen in order to focus on the task at hand.

It’s not like he was trying to seduce her in anyway, but Hermione felt completely perplexed at the niceness he was showing her. Ever since they had been thrown back into the past, Ginny’s words about him possibly having feelings for her, kept resurfacing to the forefront of her mind. It didn’t help either that he was constantly there to protect her honor or save her life, which she was fine with seeing as they were becoming friends and she was thinking strongly about forgiving him. But after that kiss…the kiss that made her knees go weak and her stomach flutter, she felt utterly confused about if it actually meant something.

They were supposed to be enemies, they were supposed to hate each other. He wasn’t supposed to kiss her back when they thought their lives were over and he sure as hell wasn’t supposed to kiss her like he meant it. The only reason she felt the need to snog the Slytherin Prince was because she didn’t want to die without feeling another’s warm lips upon hers. However, no matter how much she told herself it could have easily been Blaise instead, she knew in her heart she would never kiss him. So, did she kiss Draco out of pure convenience, or did she kiss him…because she wanted to?

Though, in that moment of sheer terror standing in the middle of the grassy field, Draco had somehow numbed all the pain enveloping her. His stormy grey eyes looking at no one else but her, the way his calloused hand left feather soft tingles against her cheek, the way his lips felt gentle and smooth as his strong sturdy arms held her firmly against his powerfully sculpted chest. It almost made her dizzy just thinking about it.

And now she felt his impressive warmth pressing against her back as they peered around the corner of the alley, and she suddenly felt those same butterflies she felt in Pompeii, fluttering in her abdomen; flickers of want…she had never felt with Ron.

But she couldn’t like him, it was impossible; she hadn’t even fully forgiven him yet. She wasn’t supposed to feel this way…and yet she was. It was now a battle of logic verses emotion, and she knew in the end, logic would win…logic always won. Draco Malfoy would never see her as anyone other than a person he was trapped in the past with. They could possibly stay friends if they ever made it home to their own time, but now, in the yesteryear's…she was simply a convenience, just like he was to her. Someone to hold on to until they made it back, because once they were back, they would inevitably go their own ways.

“What are they doing?” Ginny inquired, pulling Hermione from the deep thoughts she found herself drifting through. “And who is that woman?”

Everyone’s eyes snapped to the elderly woman standing smug at the top of the stairs of a large stone nameless building with two large burly men in dark grey uniforms standing on either side of her, before witnessing the mother of the child quickly pulling her son into a hug. As the group grew curiouser, Draco squinted more at the faded writing etched above the impressive double doors and realized exactly what was happening.

“He’s a squib…” he muttered as he noticed the elder woman holding a long slender wand in her right hand.

“What?” Hermione questioned as she slightly looked back at the blonde leaning over her, just inches from her face.

“It’s hard to see, but that building…is an orphanage.”

However, as soon as the Golden Girl was about to open her mouth to ask another question, they all heard a loud cry, forcing her to look back at the family. The child was wailing, begging for his mother as the father ripped her away from the embrace she had on her son. The two brawny men held the sobbing boy as he cried and fought to no avail, to go home, breaking the hearts of everyone watching, before being dragged into the building…never to be seen again by his family.

As the woman trembled and fell to the ground in utter despair, the man everyone assumed was her husband, grabbed her by the bicep and forcefully yanked her upwards. Hermione could see the knuckles of Draco’s hand gripping the wall go white, and she half expected him to march down the alleyway just to beat the man for what he was doing. And even though she didn’t condone his short temper, in that moment, she would have let him.

A small growl emitted from the Slytherin Prince’s throat and if it wasn’t for the fact that Hermione was so close to him, she wouldn’t have heard it. She prepared herself for the rage of the blonde wizard to rear its ugly head, but what she didn’t prepare for, was him scooping her up bridal style, confusing not only her but Blaise and Ginny as well, before walking hastily down the alley where the couple no longer stood.

It wasn’t until he stopped just shy of the orphanage and pressed his back against the stone wall to their left that she realized he was following the duo. Peaking his head around the corner, Hermione caught a glimpse of the couple walking up to a wall and then suddenly…they disappeared.

“What the hell?” Ginny stated while peering around Hermione still in Draco’s arms. “Did they just-”

“Use a wizarding gateway…?” the blonde answered quickly as he gently set the brunette down. Given the witches’ size, he could have easily carried her with no problems, however, his arms felt weak from the strain they’d endured over the last several hours and he barely had enough strength anymore to hold even himself upright. “Yeah…but I don’t think you want to know where it leads.”

“Uh…mate?” Blaise began with furrowed brows as Ginny moved to help balance Hermione out. “What the hell are you talking about? Do you know where we are?”

“I thought I recognized the alleyways slightly, but I wasn’t sure until now…” he replied with a heavy sigh. “Apparently, this part of London hasn’t changed a bit.”

Thursday, May 6th, 1999

It had been twenty painstaking minutes of waiting until Madam Poppy Pomfrey marched through the fireplace settled in the room Harry was staying in, with disappointment written all over her face. The strict matron shook her head in frustration as her white and crimson robes swept through the air as she advanced towards the raven-haired boy still sweating profusely on the plush grey sheets. Large bags of melting ice rested on either side of the Chosen One and the school nurse feared the situation was much more dire then she was told.

“No disrespect, but you should have floo’d me sooner, Minerva! Before you all decided to perform a ritual consisting of dark magic!” the matron declared fiercely as Molly moved out of her way and she hunched over Harry to get a better look at him. “He is as hot as an oven! What in Merlin’s name happened to this boy? Did he actually sit inside an active volcano?” she demanded while feeling Harry’s burning skin. “We need to heal him now before this fever boils his insides!”

Grabbing her bag off the floor she began pulling out various healing potions linked directly to her supply at Hogwarts, before facing the headmistress with a sullen look.

“What is it, Poppy?” McGonagall inquired with worry filling her eyes. She knew she would find a way to regret letting the Potter boy jump through time but was fully aware that there was no arguing against him. Which is most likely what happened when no one else volunteered for the mission.

Taking a deep breath, Pomfrey’s eyes darted back and forth as she thought about what she required, before it suddenly clicked that the Headmistress had access to anything she could need for emergencies, in Hogsmeade.

“I need Burn-Healing Paste, as much of it as you can gather. We need to make a bath large enough to cover Mr. Potters entire body. I also need to use the muggle ingredients, oh what do they call it…Apple Cider Vinegar, to mix in with a pepper-up potion before placing a cooling charm over it. Can you get me these items…and quickly?”

“Whatever you need!” McGonagall hastily replied as she summoned a quill and parchment to begin writing a note.

“I actually have that Apple Cider Vinegar in the kitchen,” Narcissa cut in, making the Professor stop writing and look to her in relief. “Keesy loves to use it to make all sorts of salad dressings, and after the Dark Lord took over our home, we had a lot of well…injured. We have plenty of Burn-Healing Paste stored in the basement next to the dungeons.”

“Right, very well” Pomfrey stated as she inhaled deeply. “We need to undress Mr. Potter, down to his skivvies. Keep the ice around him for now until we can get the paste bath set up and I can mix the vinegar with the potions. I will also need to know exactly what he has inhaled as well before removing the debris from his lungs.”

“As far as we know, only volcanic ash” Molly chimed in with mitigation tears brimming the edges of her lashes.

“In that case, I need everyone to leave this room immediately,” the matron ordered, “grab the supplies and meet back here as soon as possible. Anyone not obtaining the required medical ingredients needs to stay put on the other side of that door until I have cleared Mr. Potter’s lungs completely-”

“I don’t understand?” Ron questioned in confusion. “Why do we need to leave while you clear his lungs?”

“Because, Mr. Weasley, volcanic ash consists of extremely poisonous toxins that you can inhale when I release it into the air. Now please, everyone out!”

XX

The matron of Hogwarts covered her mouth with a white face mask and inhaled sharply as she looked down at Harry before bringing out her wand and aiming it at the raven-haired boy. Everything she was about to do was guess work because she never in her life had to deal with something so serious. Un-petrify students, easy, regrow bones, simple, but healing someone of rare dark magic after they have been thrown through time…never been done. At least not by her or anyone else in the medical field that she knew of.

She knew she had to clear the boy lungs first before anything else, especially if she was going to be able to administer any sort of potion before the bath, she hoped would cool his body. And she had no idea if removing the toxins, he had inhaled, would help cure him in anyway, but she had to act fast. It was now a matter of life and death and she simply had no room for errors.

Using the Anapneo charm, Madam Pomfrey siphoned the debris from Harry’s lungs as his chest rose off the bed and he released a painful moan from his throat. It appeared more like the Gryffindor was having his soul removed by a Dementor than having poisonous remains pulled from his body and the medic-witch had to brush the sorrow away as she stayed focused on her task.

The blackened ash spiraled through the air as she tried to contain it while forming it into a massive ball and vanishing it for good. Once every trace of the lethal fumes were diminished, she performed Tergeo and cleansed Harry of any remaining liquid, dust, and blood he had coughed up from his person before lowering her wand and removing the mask on her face with a large exhausted exhale.

XX

Ten minutes had passed; ten very long minutes of waiting outside the large arched doorway that lead into the room where Harry was being healed by Madam Pomfrey. It felt like forever as everyone lingered in the hall with the necessities that were vital to bring the boy-who-lived back to full heath and it remained quiet as a few paced back and forth; only the shuffling of their feet filling the silence.

The door suddenly creaked open, deeming the room safe from the ash and not a single person hesitated to enter. Pansy, Luna, Elizabeth, Narcissa, and Molly went straight to the en suite with their arms full of Burn-Healing Paste as Ron, Neville, Theo, Robert, and Arthur began to undress the raven-haired wizard down to his boxer shorts.

Professor McGonagall and Madam Pomfrey quickly began measuring out a teaspoon of the vinegar into six pepper-up potions before placing cooling charms over each one. Once the bath was full and ready, Arthur levitated Harry to the porcelain tub and gently set him into the paste. The girls worked rapidly to cover his body once he was fully settled, while Pomfrey began to administer the potions. It took a few seconds before she could get him to swallow the first one and after she was finished forcing him to ingest all six, she began to pour various healing potions down his throat as well.

The experience of watching the Golden Boy choke on the liquids was heartbreaking at best, but everyone who stood in the en suite knew it was the only thing they could do to help him. It still didn’t make things easy however, for the people closest to him, and Neville had to run to the toilet as he threw up.

An hour had passed as the group watched in painstaking torture for Harry to open his eyes, but the Boy-Who-Lived just laid there in the tub, unmoving; almost like a corpse waiting to be put into the ground. No one moved, no one breathed, no one even said a word as tears filled their eyes and Pomfrey checked his forehead ever few minutes to see if his fever had broken any…and each time, she shook her head in disappointment.

“How long is this supposed to go on for?” Narcissa inquired, breaking the silence and causing several pairs of eyes to turn to her as she paced back and forth near the door. “He’s been lying in that paste for just over an hour?”

“There is no time frame for this sort of thing” Pomfrey replied while once again checking Harry’s temperature.

“Is that all you care about?” Molly asked with a hint of venom in her voice. “That he wakes up because he just might happen to know where your son is? Do you even care for the boy o-or what we did to him?”

“I-I beg your pardon?” the former Slytherin Queen hissed as she stopped pacing and turned to face the redhead. “You honestly think that I’m asking because I am more worried about where my son is than Potter’s health?”

“I wouldn’t doubt for a single second that you have no care for the boy and only wish to gather the information on where Draco is that Harry, might or might not hold!” Molly retorted in anger.

“How dare you! How dare you come into my home and accuse me-”

“NOT…here!” Arthur demanded, cutting the women off as they stared each other down. “You two want to sort your mess out, fine by me, but you will do it in another room!”

“This is my home!” Narcissa sneered as she flashed an angry scowl at Arthur.

“So, you keep saying!” Molly jabbed as she stood up from the bathroom floor and clenched her fists at her sides.

“That is ENOUGH!” Elizabeth shouted as she breathed heavily, forcing all eyes to turn to her before chuckling mirthlessly and rolling her eyes while shaking her head in displeasure. “Our children are missing! And Harry…Jesus, we have no idea if he is even going to wake up from this and all you two seem to care about, is arguing! Grow up! You want to act like children fine, I will treat you like children!” she claimed while taking a step forward. “A boy might die by our hands and neither of you can seem to get past your spiteful history! We get it, we are all worried, and tired, and confused, but arguing is not helping anyone! You can either hash your shite out later or you can both march into another room and hex each other for all I care, but you are NOT doing it here! You are NOT doing in front of all these people who are afraid for the life that is at stake! Do I make myself clear?”

Both women stared stunned at the muggle daring to reprimand two powerful witches in front of everyone who were glaring at the three women, waiting for what they might do next. However, Narcissa simply clicked her tongue against the inside of her check before crossing her arms and moving to lean against the door. Though animosity for the red-headed witch still flashed across her eyes.

Molly, however, began to open her mouth to retort when a loud gasp echoed across the room, forcing everyone to look to the tub. Harry’s back arched as his chest rose from the paste covering his body, his mouth agape as he sucked in a large breath, and his eyes opened wide, terrified that he had awoken…still in the cloud of billowing fire.

London, England, March of 1349

“Wait, wait, wait, hold on just a second… Blaise stated with a stunned head shake “I think I might have heard you wrong. Did you just say…London? Like London, England?”

“Yeah, I did” Draco answered as he glanced around the corner at the wall before looking up to the orphanage. “Sometime before 1666.”

“How do you know it’s before 1666?” Ginny inquired while redistributing Hermione’s weight so they could both stand more comfortably.

“The Great Fire of London…” Hermione spoke in a low tone after playing the year through her mind.

“Exactly” the blonde sighed heavily. “The fire that took out that specific building.” He pointed to the stone orphanage. “Except, muggles closed it in 1665 after the last major epidemic of the Bubonic Plague killed over half of the children inside. It was then used for a few months, as a temporary hospital, before shutting down for good. And I know all this because that orphanage was well known to Pure-bloods as the place to relinquish squibs born into the family…”

“Relinquish squibs?” Hermione inquired, completely thrown off.

“It’s unfortunately still something Pure-bloods do. When a squib, someone with no magic but born to those with it, is identified around the age of seven…the family technically has no use for them. So,” he sighed heavily as he bit his bottom lip, disgusted at his own bloods’ history, “they…get rid of them, usually by dropping the child off at an orphanage to possibly find a muggle family to care for them.”

“That’s…That’s-you’re serious?” the curly-haired witch asked in bewilderment. “That’s horrible!”

“But he’s right” Ginny delicately claimed. “My family never partook in that practice, at least not that I’m aware of, but I know a lot of families in the sacred twenty-eight that have. It’s barbaric, but a squib is basically just a muggle who can see magic…that’s it.”

“And that wall…” Draco pointed behind him, hoping to distract Hermione from judging him on something he would never do, “is an entryway to…” he sighed once more, “to Knockturn Alley.”

“Knockturn Alley?” the redhead asked in astonishment while raising a brow. “That shady as hell, dark magic, ‘you will never step foot into that place, Ginny, so help me’, dodgy shopping area that is home to sinister and dangerous wizard folk and contains the shop where you purchased the necklace that cursed Katie Bell during your sixth year?”

“Do you even breathe when you speak?” Draco asked with a tilt of his head.

“You mean Borgin and Burkes?” Blaise questioned inquisitively, cutting Ginny off from answering his best friend. “That’s where that hideous necklace came from? That place is grotty as fuck, how did you manage to even walk in there?”

“I really would rather not talk about it, alright?” Draco appealed with a lick of his lips as his brows furrowed in anger for yet another past deed he regretted, and he crossed his arms while holding back a wince from the wound still extending across his abs to his left shoulder.

“Can you find us somewhere in there…to rest?” Hermione inquired, sensing his anger and trying to deflect the sorrow she knew he must be feeling. “We can use magic in the open in there and heal up.”

“I-I can try” the blonde claimed with a shrug before looking back to the entrance. “Though, you’ll have to keep your hoods up. I don’t know what year it is, but I do know Knockturn Alley is not somewhere you want to be caught aimlessly walking through; no matter the time period.”

“Should we heal Mione’s ankle now then? So, she won’t draw suspicion?”

Draco looked to Ginny before looking down at the brunettes swollen ankle as he thought strongly about the question he was just asked.

“Ye-actually…no. Her limp will most likely deter people away from us. She’ll appear disabled and they will try to keep their distance. No one in there likes to deal with people who may be crippled as they are always begging for money. I’m sorry Princess, but it will help you blend in more.”

“That’s okay” she half-smiled through a wince she couldn’t contain. “I can make it through a little while longer, but we will need to at least clear the ash and soot from our lungs before going any further. I don’t know about you guys, but it almost hurts to breath.”

Without giving it a second thought, the group nodded their heads in agreement before Hermione painfully siphoned the debris from all their lungs and placed her wand back into her bag.

“Okay, here’s the plan” Draco stated after inhaling sharply. “We need to split up but still stay close together. Red you take lead and Blaise you take the back. We need to make sure no one thinks Granger is actually injured, just that she simply has a creepy limp. Otherwise they might try to rob us if they see her as an easy target. Red, you’re the best actress between all of us so, I am going to need you to…well act-”

“Like an old woman who has seen some shite back in her day?” Ginny smirked. “Piece of cake! Now, are you looking for Nicolas Flamel old or like, Dumbledore old?”

“Uh…” he raised a brow in confusion while a blank look formed over his face, “just…act like you belong, Red…” he stated in bewilderment.

“Got it!” she replied with a nod before gently passing Hermione over to Draco.

Taking the Gryffindor into his tired arms, Draco wrapped her hands around his torso and under his cloak, so she could resemble an elderly woman limping next to a younger family member. Pulling her hood further over her face, he wrapped his left arm around her to help hold her up and then reached for his wand when he remembered…he didn’t have it. He never saw Hermione pick it up back in Pompeii, and therefore assumed he lost it during the fight with the guard.

However, he didn’t want anyone to know just yet that he was weaponless and hoped he had enough money in his pouch, he knew for a fact the bookworm had taken off him, to buy a new wand. Though it would be risky to buy a wand in Knockturn Alley, he figured they were in a year where his family fortune was at least semi decent.

Pulling the brunette witch closer to his body, the group began walking, and limping, towards the stone wall. Luckily for the blonde, Blaise had already brought out his wand to open the entryway, so Draco didn’t have to explain why he couldn’t. The dark-skinned wizard turned his head to his friend and waited until Draco and Hermione slowly approached him. He could hear the small sobs of the bookworm as she painfully tried to walk on her injured ankle, grasping tightly to his best friends’ torso, forcing the blonde to wince as her nails dug deep into his skin.

But Draco powered through, perceiving her pain to be much worse than his own, before looking to Blaise and cringing slightly when one of Hermione’s nails scraped a wound on his ribs, he didn’t even know he had.

“Ah,” he grunted as his body twitched involuntary from the sharp pain, forcing them to stop.

“I’m sorry…” Hermione whimpered as she moved her hand down and off his ribs.

“You’re fine, just…” he jerked slightly, “uh, here…” moving her left arm that was wrapped around him, Draco steadied her with his right hand, holding his forearm close to his chest in an effort to keep her from brushing against his deeper wounds. “Are you okay like this?” Nodding her head, Draco inhaled quickly before turning his attention back to the waiting pair in front of them. “Four taps from the center brick, two East, one West, four South, five North.”

Blaise nodded once before turning around and following Draco’s instructions of the password. When he was finished, he took a few steps back as the wall rippled and Ginny hesitantly walk through. Without uttering another word, the blonde Slytherin escorted Hermione through the barrier, leaving Blaise to slump his shoulders and sulk.

“I am so going to regret this later” he mumbled aloud before following his peers.

Emerging on the other side into Knockturn Alley, the dark-skinned wizard immediately halted his stride before he crashed into the pair directly in front of him and looked around curiously as to why they suddenly stopped.

“What…the hell?” he questioned as he took in the view of the dark and greyed out cruck buildings. Not a single person was in sight like he had expected, and the repugnant odor had returned full force. Except, this time it smelled like burnt flesh and death. Covering his nose with his cloak, he looked to his friends and raised a brow. “Where is everyone?”

Draco, who was unable to cover his nose as he held firmly on to the Gryffindor Princess, shook his head in confusion as he glanced around the Alley that should have been full of witches and wizards.

“I have no idea, but the less people to travel through the better. Let’s get going before we’re seen.”

As instructed, Ginny walked in front and cautiously began leading the group through the twists and turns of the creepy Alley. The blonde had told her which way to go as they slowly wandered through various passageways, and only ran into a few people who were coughing and eyeing them wearyingly, before darting in a different direction as if they were miscreants, they wanted nothing to do with. But after turning left twice, the redhead quickly cut her stride short and stared wide eyed off to her right.

“You sort of need to warn us when you are going to abruptly stop, Red” Draco claimed while taking a step forward to see what she was looking at. “We can’t…just…Mother of Merlin…” he gasped as his jaw dropped when he saw the hundreds of burnt bodies piled in four separate mounds, alight with flames in the open courtyard. The smell of burning flesh and tattered clothes filled the air as they stared at the lifeless eyes and contorted faces of the deceased.

“Are those real people…this place burns people?” Blaise questioned with a large hint of disgust in his tone.

“Nooo, no, no, no, no!” Hermione chanted in utter defeat, making three set of eyes snap their gazes to her as she looked at two men wearing unrefined long billed medical masks, while carrying a dead body to one of the large mounds. “Godric, this is so…fucked!”

“Whoa there, Princess” the blonde stated with furrow brows. “As awesome as it is to hear you curse, would you mind sharing with the rest of the class what the hell is going on?”

“Everyone needs to cover their mouths now! We need to get to safety! I’ll explain everything later!”

“Mione, you’re scaring me…”

“And don’t touch anything!” she finished before trying to walk away from the horrid site.

Shaking their heads perplexed, the group did as they were told, with Ginny conjuring masks over Draco and Hermione mouths and noses, before they continued as quickly as they could down the cramped street.

After a few minutes of wandering, they stumbled upon an abandoned small curved timber house with dark beams and off-white plaster walls sitting almost crookedly at the end of the path. After checking to make sure it was actually abandoned, Ginny went to open the door when Hermione stopped her and told her to cleanse the handle first.

Raising a confused brow, the redhead brought out her wand and cleansed the handle before opening the door slowly. Illuminating her wand as she stepped inside, she quickly flicked her wrist and cleaned up the place before her best friend could open her mouth.

“It’s cleansed! You can come in now!” she shouted to the group standing just outside the doorway.

Stepping into the house filled with large wooden cross beams hovering just above their heads, Blaise took note of how scarce the single room was while they all removed the masks covering their faces. A small fireplace and a table with two wooden chairs were all that occupied the space, almost as though the previous owners had packed everything they possibly could and bolted.

“Did you check for rats and fleas?” the Golden Girl questioned while Draco lead her to one of the chairs across the room.

“Okay, enough with the orders” Ginny snapped as she glanced at Hermione with her hands resting on her hips and the blonde Slytherin knelt on one knee to look at the swollen ankle. “I’m not doing anything else until you tell us what the bloody hell you think is going on!”

“It’s not obvious?” Hermione replied as she winced when Draco began to untie the sandal wrapped around her bruised calf. “No one is around, Gin, people appear to be more scared of us then we are of them, the smell of death, bodies being burned in mass quantities…those medical masks?” Draco’s eyes suddenly snapped to Hermione as a grim expression flickered over his features. “Ginny…I-I think we are in the thirteen hundreds. With how those masks looked…I-I think we landed during the first epidemic of the Bubonic Plague.”

“You’re joking right?” the redhead laughed before a thin line formed between her lips and her eyes shown worry. “You’re-you’re not joking…”

“FUCK…MY LIFE!” Blaise shouted with a loud groan as he threw his head back in frustration before reaching for his wand and re-cleaning the place with a flick of his wrist…twice more. He then transfigured two giant metal tubs from the table and extra chair before turning back to the group with a serious expression. “Alright, everyone strip right this instant and get in! We are scrubbing ourselves raw and I don’t care if we bleed while doing it!” Everyone looked at the dark-haired wizard as they all blinked, shockingly perturbed. “Okay, I care a little if we bleed-”

“I’m not getting into a bath out in the open, Zabini. Especially not with you and Blondie around to see me naked!”

“Trust me, Red…” Draco smirked as he shook his head, “I would rather not see you naked either.”

“Oh, like I would want to see you naked?” she claimed while crossing her arms and clicking her tongue against the side of her cheek in offense.

“Probably” he chuckled jokingly. “I mean who wouldn’t want this?” he flicked his hand over his body. “I’m a fine specimen if I do say so myself, or did you miss the way the women cheered in the stadium?”

“Yes, pale and bloody is just how I like my men. I love seeing the grime covering their dirty skin as their hair looks like it was just struck by lightning” she snickered with a roll of her eyes.

“Rude, Red…” he placed a dramatic hand over his chest, careful to avoid his wounds. “My hair looks more like bed head thank you very much!”

“Yeah, like you woke up on the wrong side of the bed. That hair does not scream ‘I just had the best sex ever’ at all.”

“At least mine looks like I woke up in a bed and not on the straw of a used mattress in a dirty brothel.”

Ginny’s eyes widened as her mouth gaped open at the memory of Rome, while Blaise and Hermione tried their best to bite back the laughter struggling to break free.

“Alright you two” Hermione chuckled while bringing out her wand as Ginny and Draco stuck their tongues out at each other like they were children, “we need to get cleaned up” she rolled her eyes as the pair silently bickered back and forth before scoffing slightly and summoning a tub to her side of the room.

When only Blaise noticed what she had done, Hermione flicked her wrist and conjured a wooden partition wall with a door between the duo. However, Ginny was notorious for making sure she had the last word and quickly opened the entrance, stuck her tongue out once more, and then swiftly shut the opening, preventing Draco from responding.

Shaking her head with a small chuckle, the brunette witch was about to apologize for her friend’s childish behavior when her wand was suddenly snatched from her hand. She didn’t even have a moment to retort as Draco pointed the Vine wood at her ankle and slowly healed the sprain before gently setting her leg down. Idly, she wondered how long he had been holding it in the first place. Half-smiling while handing back her property, the blonde Prince stood up as Hermione internally questioned how her wand had worked so easily for him, and why he didn’t use his own, when she abruptly remembered he didn’t have it.

“Wait, Malfoy…” she began as his hand rested on the door handle that he was about to open. Reaching into her beaded bag she pulled out his money pouch and wand before watching his grey eyes grow wide in surprise. “You dropped it while fighting that guard. I-I didn’t want any muggles to see it, so I grabbed it for you.”

“You…you held on to it?” he asked in astonishment as he took a step forward and gently reached for the Hawthorn wood and pouch.

“Well, yeah. We can’t have you protecting us by only beating people to the brink of death” she smiled with a small chortle. However, when she noticed his eyes turn somber and his lips fall to a frown, she realized he didn’t understand what she was trying to say. “I-I didn’t mean it like that. I do really appreciate you sticking up for me…even though it landed you in a horrible position.”

“I didn’t wanna kill those men, Granger…I-I had to” he claimed sorrowfully. “I didn’t want to” his voice cracked while his bottom lip quivered as he repeated himself to make sure she understood.

“I know” she answered tenderly as she tried to reassure him that she didn’t blame him for the actions he took to protect himself…and her. “We all have our roles that provide something to the group, is all I meant by my statement. I understand you had to do what you could to survive.”

“I don’t understand. What do you mean by roles?”

“Malfoy, if you haven’t noticed already, you’re the muscle of our little team, our protector of sorts. You fight for us” she explained while trying to hide the blush forming over her cheeks; happy that her face was dirty enough to cover the embarrassment she felt when she pictured him with his shirt off.

“That doesn’t excuse what I did. I killed people, Granger. I lost control and almost beat a man to death just-” he stopped himself short before he admitted that he only attacked the man for simply touching his…friend. Clearing his throat as he diverted his gaze he concluded, “Just for laying his hands on a woman” hoping all the while that she didn’t see the fire brewing in his eyes because he had a strange urge to kill anyone who dare touch the Princess.

“You have a short fuse, yes, but if you didn’t fight that cave man in the Ice Age, he would have attacked me. A-and the guard in Pompeii…you were doing what I couldn’t in that moment. But it wouldn’t have happened if I had never hit you and…and I’m sorry. I was scared, I wasn’t thinking. I was just so mad that you almost died that I-I snapped.”

“Are you blaming yourself for Blaise and I ending up in that arena?” he asked in disbelief. “I already told you I’m not angry with you about that. I would have been just as pissed if the roles were reversed, Granger. I wouldn’t have hit you though, but that’s because I would never hit a woman.”

“I figured as much” she stated while lowering her head to look at her hands before glancing back up to him. “We’re friends…right? I mean after everything we’ve been through as of late, I-I consider you a friend. I know I said back in China that we weren’t, but after you defended me and protected me…” she sighed as she looked off to the side for a brief moment. “You make it hard to not care about your safety.”

“So, you’re forgiving me?” he questioned while taking a step forward with a raised playful brow. “Hermione Granger, Saint Potters’ right-hand girl and former enemy of Slytherins’ most egotistical, self-centered, deceitful little cockroach…is forgiving me?”

“Well when you put it like that, maybe I shouldn’t” she giggled softly as she looked up at him with a small smile.

Draco scoffed with a slight chuckle before kneeling to her level and placing a hand on her right shoulder.

“You make it hard…to not care for your safety too…Princess.”

XX

“So, we are just going to leave them in there…all alone…where they can potentially kill each other, and we are powerless to stop them?” Blaise asked while looking to Ginny filling the tub with water from her wand before she placed a heating charm over the cool liquid.

“We haven’t heard them hex each other yet” she replied with a shrug as she looked to the wall separating her and the Italian from Draco and Hermione. “I’m sure they are just fine. If they really wanted to kill each other they would have done it back in the museum. Now if you’ll excuse me, I would like to clean this disgusting shite off my body.”

“Need any help?” Blaise smirked while crossing his arms and winking at the redhead.

Ginny ran her tongue against the inside of her bottom lip while squinting curiously at the dark-skinned wizard and crossing her own arms in front of her.

“Sure, Zabini” she jeered with an impish smile. “Why don’t you come over here and check the temperature for me. Make sure it’s safe enough for me to strip before getting into the warm water that will soak my body and moisten my delicate skin.”

Picturing the redhead stark naked, Blaise walked over to the tub without removing his gaze from her sultry one and leaned down to touch the water; completely unaware of Ginny’s sarcasm. As the tips of his fingers merged with the water, Ginny discretely pointed her wand at the tub and sent a minor hex to shock the Italian, forcing him to yelp in pain as he stumbled backwards.

“Bloody hell, Red! You could have just said no!”

“Where’s the fun in that?” she questioned with a tilt of her head as she shrugged with a large smile plastered on her face before conjuring a wall that separated Blaise from her.

Removing her filth covered clothing, Ginny inhaled deeply before stepping into the clear water and sitting down with a wince as the liquid seared the cuts, she didn’t even know she had. Now that she was alone and able to finally think about what they had all been through, her emotions and thoughts began to run wild.

However, it wasn’t until she began scrubbing herself with her hand and dirt mixed with blood began to turn the water an abhorrent shade of dark brown, that everything finally sunk in. A sudden wave of anguish, dread, fear, and turmoil began to fill her soul and uncontrollable stream of tears began to fall from her brown eyes as images of fireballs, dead civilians, and a tsunami plagued her memory.

She began to scrub harder at her arms and legs, turning her pale skin red before giving up momentarily and sobbing into her hands. Unbeknownst to the red-headed Gryffindor, Blaise stood just outside the door with a hand and his forehead pressed firmly into the wood as he listened to her gut wrenching break down. Heartbreak was all he could feel for the girl weeping on the other side of the barrier, but he knew she needed to have her space.

Even though none of them wanted to talk about the moment they thought was their last, they had all suffered through the same torment in Pompeii and tried to hide it with jokes and laughter. But as tough as each one of them was, pain like that, could easily overwhelm a person and it was heavily eating them alive from the inside out.

Blaise might not have fought in the Battle of Hogwarts, but after witnessing people he didn’t even know die, he could only imagine the aching feeling his friends bore witness to a year ago and he began to respect the three people he was lost in the past with, even more. Though nothing prepared him for the agony of listening to Ginny weep and he could do nothing to help her. He just hoped she could feel his presence and when she was ready...he would be there for her.

XX

“Okay, turn around…” Hermione requested after she finished healing a large slash on the back of the blonde Slytherin. He apparently had more cuts and bruises coating his pale flesh then any of them had realized. Draco had already healed everything on the brunette, and she was now finishing up the last of the cuts on his body when she gasped in horror at the broad gash running diagonal from the tip of his naval to his left shoulder. She saw when he had obtained the brutal cut, but she hadn’t taken the time to get a good look at it until now. It was long, just slightly over a foot in length, and bright red. There was debris embedded into it as small trickles of blood dripped from the torn skin.

Her shoulders hunched in sorrow as Draco frowned and ran his tongue on the inside of his cheek, uncertain as to what to say. He watched as Hermione studied the wound, clearly, trying to figure out the best way to proceed.

“I can grab Blaise to heal it if you don’t want to attempt it” he spoke low, ashamed that he had received the slice from the axe in the first place and flustered that the girl he was apparently lusting after was staring fixedly at his chest. “He’s studying to become a Healer and helped alleviate my sore arms in the dungeons before we fought” he rambled while trying to shake the awkwardness he was feeling.

“No…I can do it” the witch replied without looking up at him and continued to examine the deep injury. “But it’s gonna hurt.”

“I can take it” he shrugged before looking around for something to bite down on. However, Hermione beat him to it and quickly handed him his cloak she had cleansed before they started healing each other. “Thanks” he stated with a half-smile as he began to clump up part of the black fabric.

“Do you want to lay down for this or sit?”

“I’ll stand. If I sit or lay down now, I might not get back up for a while” he chuckled before shoving the material into his mouth and moved the rest of the dangling cloak over his right shoulder, so it wasn’t in the way.

Though Hermione knew the pain would be worse if he stayed standing, she didn’t want him to fall over, so she walked over to the chair the blonde had sat her in when they had arrived, and dragged it over to him so he could use the back for support. Nodding his head while gripping the top rail of the wooden furniture, the bookworm lowered her apprehensive gaze from his and down to his chest. Pointing her wand at the wound, she exhaled a quick breath and began to first clean the debris from the gash.

Draco’s eyes shut tightly as he bit down hard on the fabric in his mouth and his hand gripped the chair like a vice. It only took a moment to clean the damage that was inflicted on his skin, but that moment felt like an eternity of torment as she debrided the area of grime. Hermione then flicked her wrist once more and began to slowly and very painfully, heal the slash. Releasing a groan, he was trying so hard to hold back, Draco’s knees went weak and he was suddenly grateful for the chair the Golden Girl had provided him.

After a minute of agonizing pain, the wavy-haired witch lowered her wand and looked at the reddened area the gash once laid. Satisfied with her work, she went to take a step back when Draco’s strong hands suddenly pulled her to him, and she felt his lips against hers. Instinctively, she started to kiss him back, but when she realized what was happening, she quickly pushed him off her.

“What are doing?” she immediately asked as she looked to him with widened eyes.

Draco shook his head as he looked at her confused. He had thought after their first kiss and the fact that she had let him touch her, that she might have felt something too, but now he was starting to question if it was all in his mind.

“I-I-” he began to stutter while trying to come up with a reason, any excuse, as to why he had kissed the shocked witch before him.

“Malfoy…I-I, that kiss in Pompeii…It was just-it wasn’t real…I thought we were dying and the last thing I wanted was to feel fear and-and pain. You understand, right?”

His heart stopped and all he could do was blink as his breath grew heavy and her words ripped him apart. It was in that moment, Draco realized he didn’t want Hermione because of lust, he wanted her…because he actually liked her, and her confession stung like a thousand knives cutting him from the inside out. He wanted to run, he wanted to scream, but all he could do was stare at the witch as he held back the despair he wished to release upon the world and slipped behind his unfeeling mask.

“I-I know” he finally stated through the shock he was experiencing. “I just…I just-I wasn’t thinking. I’m sorry” he lied as he spoke so low, he didn’t even know if he could hear himself. “I don’t really know what came over me” he chuckled while rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment. Seeing the pain behind his eyes, Hermione softened her shoulders and moved to touch him, but Draco quickly stepped back, unable to bear the feel of her hands upon him after being rejected. “Um…th-thanks for healing me…” he stated before grabbing his cloak off the ground where he’d dropped it, and then promptly turning around to walk out the door.

Closing the exit behind him, Hermione stood frozen in place as she contemplated what the hell had just happened as Draco looked down at the ground in the hallway. Stepping off to the side of the door, he inhaled a deep breath before looking up to see Blaise sitting in front of him on the opposite wall with sorrow etched in his brown eyes. Hearing the soft sobs of the redhead in the other room, the blonde slid down the wall as tears of his own begged to be released and both boys waited, never once saying a word to each other, as they all tried their best to hide the hurt.

Draco lowered his head as he rested his arms on his propped knees and did his best to not show how upset he was at being bluntly turned down. He had never once had a woman in his life turn him away. Females almost begged to receive attention from him and he always happily obliged. Then again, he had never felt feelings for any of the girls he had ever kissed, let alone slept with, and it confused the ever-loving piss out of him. He didn’t want to want the Gryffindor Princess and he sure as hell didn’t fancy the idea of being hurt by her either. But something was preventing him from being fully angry at her and he found himself unfortunately, wanting her even more.

XX

A few hours later, after everyone had washed and cleaned up for the evening, dressing in pajamas for the night, Hermione was found sitting upon an expanded windowsill. She looked out over the damp and dark town through the glass windows she’d erected to keep the rain and potent illnesses out, while trying to hold back the aching grumbling of her stomach. They had all agreed after cleaning up that it was too dangerous to go outside into the disease-stricken town, so for the time being, they had to go without food.

Ginny had fallen asleep about an hour earlier due to exhaustion, and Draco laid on a mattress that used to be a tub with his back facing the wavy-haired witch as he tried his best to ignore the aggravating snoring of the redhead near him. Blaise however couldn’t find sleep just yet and walked over to the brunette who appeared sullen while looking out the window unseeingly.

Taking a seat beside her, he lifted his right leg and rested his arm upon his knee as he used the wooden wall, encasing the window, behind him for support. They had all talked about conjuring items as Draco did his best to ignore Hermione and concluded that using magic to place wards or transfigured objects, would disappear when they left.

The curly-haired witch told her peers about how she had noticed her wards beginning to dissolve in the cave before they jumped, and they all figured that the man who tried to attack Hermione and fought Draco, was going to die anyway as Ginny mentioned she had seen a few Dire Wolves mixed in with the pack of Sabers just outside the entrance. The wolves most likely followed the brute, who had killed one of their own, therefore rendering the life the blonde Slytherin had taken, on the hands of the wild animals.

It still didn’t make Draco feel any better, but at least knowing they didn’t fully mess with the past helped ease all their worries. So, they began to create objects they could use from the time period they were in, knowing each of them would revert to their original form once they left. However, Hermione was still anxious about the walls they had conjured and removed them once everyone was cleaned and healed.

But as she sat by the window and watched a stream of rainwater run down the clear glass, her only thoughts were on the new friendship that had possibly ended as quickly as it had started.

“What’s wrong, Buttercup?” Blaise inquired as he looked the bookworm over with a tilt of his head.

“Nothing…” she answered softly, while lowering her gaze to her fingers resting in her lap.

“You can’t lie to me, Hermione. I know something’s wrong. Not even Draco, who is the best liar I know, can deceive me.”

“He told you what happened…Didn’t he?” she raised her eyes to the wizard sitting in front of her, both completely unaware that Draco had yet to fall asleep and could hear everything.

“Not in so many words, but yeah” he admitted after witnessing the strain between the pair since Draco had exited the make-shift bathroom a few hours earlier. It’d taken catching him alone while they started a fire to gather the finer points of what had occurred between them.

“I didn’t mean to hurt his feelings, Blaise. I just-I’m confused.”

“You trust him, don’t you?” he questioned as he looked to Draco who was still facing away from them, but silently hanging onto every word. “I mean the guy basically saved your life numerous times when he didn’t have to, and he told me you forgave him.”

“I trust him. It’s just that…I don’t know…” she sighed while turning her gaze back to the window.

“You’re conflicted” he claimed more as a statement than a question. She nodded her head as Blaise lowered his leg and leaned forward. “You think that if for some reason you two, I don’t know, get together, that it would be out of convenience because we’re trapped in the past and it’s the only way for something like that to actually happen?” she nodded once more before looking back down at her hands again. “Listen to me, Buttercup, and listen to me good. Just because we’re stuck, does not mean Draco didn’t already feel something for you. Why do you think he beat that guard to an inch of his life after he hit you? How do you think he was able to produce extremely rare raw magic to shield you in Pompeii? Or better yet, why would he stay behind when we all know he had every reason to run when that ash cloud came at us?”

“He has a temper” was all she could think to say as she ran each question over in her mind. “I-I just…I want to be his friend and I want to get to know him. I just think it’s ruined now. He won’t even look at me since he kissed me.”

Tears welled in her eyes as she thought of the look of pain and rejection held in his silver orbs. She hadn’t wanted to hurt him…but she couldn’t be with someone who normally would have never looked twice at her back home.

Blaise scoffed as he shook his head and pondered the best way to put what he was thinking into words she would understand, instead of just questions she would try to pick apart later.

“Don’t tell him I said anything but come on. The bloke’s embarrassed after you rejected him. Also, he is a pure-blood” he began while scratching the top of his head and then resting the same hand on the back of his neck. “We all had to go through sword training once we reached the age of ten. It’s tradition in the richer society. I have no idea why, but it is. He was also a Death Eater who was forced to duel and fight other Death Eaters or be punished if he denied the demand from the Dark Lord himself. But Salazar, Hermione, Draco is a puppy dog. He has a violent history and yes, he has a temper, but can you really blame him? The training he received turned him into a man that can destroy a person in a blink of an eye, which you have witnessed. Open him up and you’ll watch a dog fight. But he wouldn’t hurt a fly anymore. Not unless he knew that fly…was hurting someone he cared for” he claimed, unwilling to specifically indicate her, in case she assumed he was full of it.

Draco lowered his head slightly as he listened to his best friend stick up for him. He felt indebted to the man who was willing to speak on his behalf because he was too ashamed to do it himself. However, he was fully aware that he usually let his anger get the better of him, but he didn’t realize it would affect the way Hermione viewed him.

It didn’t help either that he had been rude to her the rest of the evening from the embarrassment he had endured. Anytime she tried to speak with him he either ignored her or spoke sharply enough to make her frown. He wanted her to feel the same pain she had forced upon him, though after hearing the conversation between his best mate and Hermione, he was now beginning to think he’d went about everything all wrong.

However, if the brunette thought the only reason he wanted her was because they were stuck together, and she just happened to be there, then he would need to prove that she wasn’t just a convenience to him. Not that it would be easy. Once Hermione Granger had an idea in her head, it was almost impossible to remove. But he would do everything in his power to show her that she meant more to him…than even he was aware of.

XX

As the sun began to rise and shine a faint light into the dark and greyed out house in the wee hours of the morning, the group of friends laid in a peaceful slumber while Blaise and Ginny snored loudly next to each other. It was the first time in few days that any of them found a comfortable rest and they took the tranquility to the best of their ability.

Unfortunately, however, for the four taking as much relaxation as they could, a loud piercing noise awoke all them from their slumbers and they sat up straight in utter confusion. Before any of them had a chance to figure out what the hell was happening, the familiar glow from the amulet resting in Hermione’s beaded bag, still attached to her wrist because she feared if they suddenly jumped through time it would be left behind, began to surround them. The one thing they all desperately wished would never happen during their journey became reality as the ancient beetle blasted them backwards before sucking them into another swirling vortex.

Although, this time, the feeling was a lot different than any of the four were used to and the events of the jump seemed to have happened much quicker than normal. The amulet never gave them time to grip on to each other before throwing them into the next era, though, if any of them had looked at the necklace earlier, they would have seen the crack in the scarab was over seventy-five percent sealed. Signifying the amulet was mending itself before apparating them unwillingly…and it was almost complete.


	9. Unexpected Visitor

Chapter 9- Unexpected Visitor

Thursday, May 6th, 1999

Elizabeth Granger sat in a chair in the grand Library and watched in annoyance as Narcissa Malfoy and Molly Weasley finally released their pent-up rage. Harry’s health was slowly returning to normal and he had been resting in the guest bedroom for just under an hour as Madam Pomfrey watched over him like a hawk and kept a close eye on his vitals. However, when the muggle mother had suggested the two impressive witches figure out their differences in a separate room before the Golden Boy awoke in the tub, she didn’t mean in the way the two were now screaming at each other as if they were uncivilized children.

She thought sitting them down with other people in the room to bear witness and not interject, that the women would speak like adults who had kids. Unfortunately, her idea that a calm and collective discussion to help them get over their past hatred for each other, was a complete failure and she rested her chin in her hand as she sat at the desk and tapped her fingers across her cheek.

“Oh, piss off you bloody Ginger! You have no idea the lengths I had to go through to get to where my family is now!” Narcissa spat with sheer venom riddling her voice.

“You mean siding with that horrid snake man and teaching your son to hate anyone considered lesser than himself!” Molly retorted while slicing a hand through the air.

“Please!” the Slytherin scoffed. “Like your family is any better! You keep popping out kids left and right, it’s no wonder they act up and you can barely afford to dress them properly! Also, I would just like to point out that you are just as prejudice as I used to be! You never once bothered to try and speak to me or my family, without passing judgment first!”

“Well at least I don’t go bloody rubbing it in people’s faces that I’m pure-blooded! We have embraced muggle-borns since the beginning, unlike you!”

“You don’t really have a choice since you’ve been shunned from the community! Then again, it’s clear your family still keeps to the old ways” Narcissa ticked while crossing her arms as Molly’s face reddened.

“And just what the hell is that supposed to mean, Narcissa?” the redhead asked spitefully.

“You may ‘embrace’ muggle-borns, Molly, but you sure as hell don’t accept squibs! I mean, don’t you have a second cousin that’s an accountant or stockbroker or whatever, living in the muggle world?” she grinned wickedly as everyone in the room eyes widened and looked to the redhead in surprise. Even Ron, who had apparently told Harry first year, was surprised because he never once assumed his family practiced that horrid belief and just thought his mother’s cousin preferred to not use magic. “The only reason a wizarding family would have a member in the muggle world, is if they kept with the tradition of ridding the non-magical person from-”

“You shut your mouth, right now! You have no idea what you’re talking about!” Molly cut in while waving a finger in front of her face. “You do not want to go down that road Ms. ‘I’m only changing because my side lost’! Or are you forgetting we won the war!”

“It was won because I lied about Potter dying in the Forbidden Forest!” Narcissa spat while unfolding her arms and stepping forward. “It was won because my son lied about knowing your precious savor when he and his friends were captured by snatchers!” Molly opened her mouth to retort, but the Slytherin Queen was not finished just yet and continued to close the gap between her and the elder Weasley. “It was won because my family wanted no part in the murders and the violence that lunatic was about, and defected so that people like Hermione Granger, could live out their lives free of hate! But instead of getting a thank you or a simple nod for doing what no other person in our position would have normally done, Draco and I get treated like we never helped! Like we never put our lives at risk as well to make sure that bastard was defeated! Like my son wasn’t tortured and cursed for hours after protecting your little Princess when my sister put her hands on her! You don’t get to verbally harass me and tell me who I care and don’t care for! You don’t get to attack me when clearly you don’t know the whole story because it’s obvious to everyone in this damn room, that you only care about trying to belittle me!”

No one spoke as Narcissa breathed heavily and tears pleaded to fall from her piercing blue eyes, but she held them back as she stared hard at the red-headed witch standing in front of her, who was completely at a loss for words.

“This…this is what you all do when someone you apparently care about is fighting for their life?” Harry asked while Madam Pomfrey helped steady him as he stood on in the doorway of the library, forcing everyone to look at him in shock. “This is what you both think, will help me?”

“Harry-” Molly began in a soft motherly tone.

However, the Gryffindor was not having it as his brows narrowed and he removed his hold from the Matron before stepping forward. Though Pomfrey was right on his heels in case he grew too weak to walk.

“How many times does this have to happen?” he questioned while his eyes flickered back and forth between the two women. “Tell me. How many times this incessant childish behavior must happen before you two, stop glaring at each other during meals, making everyone around you uncomfortable? How many? Two? Six? A hundred?” he lowered his head as he chuckled before raising his framed eyes back to the mothers before him. “I mean I guess it doesn’t really matter the number does it? We can just continue letting you rip each other apart until you have finally gotten all the bullshite out of your system and we can get back to what’s more important.

“Cause in case neither of you have realized, not everything is about you! We have four people lost in time and I almost died trying to find them but of course, have at it” he waved his hand as he moved to sit in an empty chair next to Elizabeth. “I’m sure everyone would love to hear more about how you both despise each other instead of trying to find a way to help those who are facing much worse than any of us could imagine. Please, keep going. But do start over because apparently I missed the part where Mrs. Malfoy was about to explain how Draco protected Hermione when Bellatrix was torturing her…”

Harry looked around the room at the faces too ashamed with themselves for allowing the argument to get as far as it did before he focused back on Molly and Narcissa.

“No?” he asked while resting his right arm on the desk and leaned back in the chair. “No one wants to talk about that now that we are all officially present. Okay, so then let’s talk about how Hermione, Ginny, Blaise and Draco, were outright thrown back to the dinosaur era. O-or that when I did finally find them, five periods later which I will circle back to, they almost died after being swallowed whole by an ash cloud due to a massive erupting volcano, that I had the pleasure of experience firsthand.”

“Y-you were in the ash cloud?” Molly questioned with surprise.

“Oh, now you want to talk about what I went through?” Harry ruthlessly retorted as his anger from the fight he had witnessed continued to boil over. “You two are officially done with your foolish bickering?”

“Now come on Harry” Ron interjected. “That’s not fair and you know it.”

“You want to know what’s not fair, Ronald?” the raven-haired wizard bit out while sitting up straight and clenching his right hand. “Fighting through a war that should have stopped all this nonsense! Losing my childhood because someone thought it was a good idea to rid the world of muggle-borns and try to kill me for years in the process! What’s not fair is that four of our classmates are unwillingly stuck in the damn past and we can’t bring them home! And yet two grown adults think it’s okay to argue about shite that shouldn’t even fucking matter anymore, while I was down the hall fighting just to survive!” he yelled while slamming his fist on the table, making everyone flinch at the resounding noise.

“Alright,” McGonagall cut in with a deep sigh, “I think we all need to take a step back and calm down before this gets out of hand.”

“It’s not already out of hand, Professor?” Harry snapped, not caring that he was speaking directly to the Headmistress who could easily shut him up with just a flick of her wrist. However, the Professor understood that the Gryffindor needed to blow off some steam and she didn’t blame him in the slightest for feeling the way that he did. Though she wished he would take a breath and relax after just waking up from a horrific ordeal. “Because the way I see it, no one else in this room is willing to step up and act like, how did you put it Mrs. Weasley…oh, ‘grown adults capable of decent behavior’!”

“I agree that you should be upset, Potter” Theo intervened as he backed off the table he was leaning against and uncrossed his arms to place his hands in his pockets. “And don’t get me wrong, I am all for hearing you scold adults because well, it’s bloody wicked, but we can’t understand what you went through, if you don’t tell us.”

As Harry glanced at Theo and exhaled a deep breath, the fireplace in the Library roared to life, and everyone looked to the hearth with curiosity. As the green fire died down, Bethany Woodrow could be seen dusting the specks of ash off of her pristine bright yellow dress before stepping out.

“Good evening everyone! I know I’m early, but this couldn’t wait” the former Hufflepuff stated with a pleasant smile, which half the room wished to wipe off her face that very moment. “I hope you don’t mind Mrs. Malfoy, but I brought someone who I think can help.”

Stepping off to her left, Bethany’s’ cheerful smile grew as the crowd in front of her raised a brow, confused about who she could be referring to. It wasn’t until the witch was completely out of the way, that a tall man with short bright blonde hair, emerged from the shadows of the fireplace with a devilish smirk plastered on his smug face.

“Hello…friends” the man spoke with a deep sinister voice, causing most in the room to narrow their brows in animosity as their jaws dropped in shock. “So, good…to see you all again.”

Spring of 1622

“Merlin’s fucking beard!” Blaise yelled as he sat up from the hard-grassy ground and cracked his back to rid the pain he was feeling. “Why the bloody he…ll…” he stopped as he looked around and noticed no one had landed with him. “Guys?” he quickly stood up and brushed the dirt off of his transfigured pajama pants and white shirt before beginning to panic. “Fuck! DRACO!” he screamed out, hoping someone would hear him. Thankfully it only took a few moments until the sound of his best friends’ voice quietly echoed from afar. Breathing a sigh of relief, Blaise began walking up a large hill where he could hear Draco calling for everyone in their group and realizing as he reached the top, that the blonde was just as alone as he had been. “Thank Salazar! Draco, where are the girls?” the Italian inquired as he stopped just short of Slytherin Prince.

“I have no idea!” Draco answered as he glanced around while running his fingers through his disheveled hair. “I have no fucking clue as to why that stupid necklace can’t just keep us fucking together! Is it too much to ask that it tells us it’s going to jump us before just ripping us from our beds! How many times do we have to go through this? I mean come on! We said it, didn’t we? We all thought it as well! But nooo, that thing is just fucking with us and knows we didn’t want to be jumped while we were fucking sleeping!”

“You sound like Red” Blaise stated before pinching his lips together in an effort to hold back his smile.

“Who sounds like me?” Ginny asked as her upper body appeared over the hill behind the boys.

“Ah, there’s one!” Draco claimed with an outstretched hand before rolling his eyes and looking around. “Now where’s the bloody other one?”

“I’m right here, calm down!” Hermione declared as she walked up the mound to the right of where Draco had landed.

“Well forgive me, my dear Princess, I’m a little cranky from being suddenly awoken and thrusted through a nauseating vortex just to land hard on the ground again, but this time alone!”

“You don’t need to snap at me!” the bookworm retorted while brushing her unruly hair out of her face before giving up and just tying it back into messy bun with a conjured ribbon.

Draco scoffed as he once again rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. He knew he was supposed to try and show the Golden Girl he was worthy enough to be with her, but the sudden unexpected jump had irritated him enough to want to punch something. However, knowing he couldn’t, he had to release his anger through words instead and Hermione just happened to be able to take the callousness better than the rest. Ignoring the grouchy blonde and the discomfort they were all feeling, the wavy-haired witch looked off into the distance to try and calculate where they now were.

Seeing smoke billowing from in front of them, Ginny squinted at the site in curiosity before pushing past the Prince, who barked at her for ramming his shoulder, and walked towards the curling grey stream cutting through the air.

“Where is she going?” Draco questioned in annoyance before looking to Blaise who just shrugged and followed the redhead.

Though Draco and Blaise had only been best mates for the last year, the dark-haired Slytherin had known since their first year that the blonde hated early morning wake up calls. He distinctly recalled a few of their fellow dorm mates being hexed when they woke the Prince before his wand alarm would sound, signaling time for breakfast. However, he quickly shoved the thought of food from his mind as he didn’t have time to be distracted by his growling stomach.

Hermione didn’t hesitate either to get away from the grumpy blonde and she too trailed after her friends, leaving Draco to throw his hands in the air in defeat before exhaling sharply. As the group reached the end of the table-top hill, they came upon a small town nestled at the bottom with a large body of water directly in front of oversized wooden gates. It appeared to be a river or a lake of some kind with pirate-like ships that had multiple white sails sitting port-side just outside of the forted community.

Ginny studied the odd triangle shaped wall surrounding the town as Hermione brought out her world history book and opened it up. However, the brunette had no idea where to even start, but once they gained a few clues she could better search for where they were.

“Where did you even get that massive thing, Buttercup?” Blaise asked as he inquisitively gazed at the tome in the bookworm’s hands.

“It was a gift, actually” she replied with a small smile as she ignored the new nickname the dark-skinned wizard had given her the night before. She was getting used to the boys giving her informal titles and was just grateful they were endearing rather than spiteful, like Mudblood. “The new Muggle Studies professor, Professor Eidin, gave it to me in the beginning of the year. She claims it was a belated birthday present, but I know it was because I’m the best in her class. It’s charmed to hold any and all history I want to research.”

“That’s…brilliant” he stated, obviously impressed. He was beginning to think he should have taken the class the girls were so interested in.

“Yeah, it holds everything from wizarding history to mugg-”

“Jamestown!” Ginny interrupted happily after studying the town further, but also causing everyone’s attention to be drawn to her. “I knew I recognized that strange wall, we learned about it right before that American celebration in November…what do they call it? With the pilgrims and whatnot.”

“Thanksgiving” Hermione answered with a raised brow.

“Yes, that’s it!” she chirped while snapping her fingers in the air. “So that has to be the Chesapeake Bay!”

“Why would you be learning about an American holiday we don’t even celebrate?” Draco questioned, while rubbing his sore neck with his left hand.

“Every month we learned about different countries and their holidays” the redhead shrugged. “October, we learned about the Day of the Dead in Mexico and the Diwali Festival of Lights, December was Holland’s St. Nicolas Eve, April was the Qingming Festival in China and Ramadan celebrated by the Muslim community. November was Thanksgiving, which just so happens to be a very big holiday in North America, and-Oh, shite!”

“What? What is it?” Blaise panicked as he twisted around to see if someone was coming for them.

“We’re in America!” she replied with a large grin. “I always wanted to visit here one day…Course in our time though. The good ol’ US of A does not have a pleasant history.”

“Does any country?” the brunette mumbled under her breath. “Are you sure this is Jamestown, Gin?” Hermione questioned as she looked down at the village.

“I’m sure…look it up.”

The curly-haired witch eyed her friend for a moment before searching the tome for Jamestown. When she finally found it after a few minutes of endless page flipping, she flicked her eyes back and forth from the map on the page to the small city down below before slumping her shoulders. She was happy her friend could identify one of the eras they had landed in, however, she was a little upset she hadn’t discovered it first.

“You’re right…We are in America…” she stated with a heavy sigh. Ginny began jumping up and down while clapping her hands excitedly and producing a happy squeal from her broad smile. “Don’t get too excited, Gin. We still have no idea what year this is and…” Hermione turned her focus to Blaise, who was gazing at the redhead with an affectionate smirk and blinked as a new realization dawned on her. “Ah, fuck!”

Everyone glanced at Hermione in confusion before she rolled her eyes and exhaled sharply.

“Mind telling us what uh, what warrants a very vulgar curse word from you, Princess?” Draco asked with a tilt of his head.

“Besides hanging around you too much…the reason would be Blaise” she responded while throwing a hand up.

“Me? What the hell did I do?”

“It’s nothing you did Blaise, ugh!” she groaned as she closed the book and placed it back into her beaded bag. “Please take no offense to this, but…you’re black.”

Blaise folded in his lips while tilting his head, completely perplexed as to where the witch was going with her statement.

“Uh, yeah, Granger, I’m black…Are you just now figuring this out?”

“Ahh shite!” Ginny expressed with a sulk.

“You too?” Draco inquired with both brows raised in shock.

“Okay, how do I put this gently” Hermione began with thinned lips. “Your race, well the race that will appear to the people down there as African…was only brought over to America as…” both Blaise and Draco jutted their chins closer to the bookworm as they waited for her to finish “as slaves.” She winced as she awaited the outburst from one or even both boys. However, when neither one flipped out, she furrowed her brows in confusion.

“That’s it?” the Italian asked “I already know about how people viewed the color of my skin” he shrugged. “I never actually had anyone hate me for it or comment on it, but I know about it. My mothers’ sixth husband was a history buff from Africa and made sure I was taught all about black enslavement. It didn’t really affect me, so I just pretended to care. It is what it is.”

“Okay, but it does here” Ginny declared as she took a pleading step forward. “If we go down there, well we sort of have to in order to get food, then you either have to stay here or be extremely careful to not be mistaken for a slave.”

“And why aren’t you mad about this?” Hermione questioned Draco, who just stood there with his arms crossed as he listened to the conversation happening in front of him.

“What? Oh…am I supposed to be?” he inquired honestly. “I don’t really know much about Africans being enslaved but I assume it’s the same as every other race that has ever gone through it. Technically, I was a slave to the Dark Lord if you really think about it” he shrugged, not really understanding the point both girls were trying to make.

“Okay well…” the brunette witch began when she realized the boys would have to see for themselves how bad it could be but hoped it didn’t come down to it “we need to come up with a story if we are going down there. Jamestown was one of the first settlements in this country, meaning everyone knows everyone because the whole population came in on the same ships around the same time. We can blend in relatively well since everyone except Africans, are English, so we won’t need the language charm, but in case we are stopped or questioned…”

“We need to make our sudden arrival not sound suspicious or risk having to hex and obliviate an entire town” Draco finished while uncrossing his arms and ran both hands through his hair. “Okay, so how do we do that? It’s obvious we didn’t come in on a ship as they would have seen us arriving. Where’s the closest settlement to Jamestown?”

“That’s the problem, Blondie” Ginny chimed in. “We have no idea the year so it can be anywhere from Roanoke to Massachusetts. There were thirteen original colonies, all appearing at different times in different states.”

For some strange reason, a plan began to form in the Prince’s mind and he quickly brought out his money pouch. Opening the bag, he noticed Galleons that were not there previously, sitting in the bottom as if they had never left.

“I’m rich…” he whispered before looking up to the perplexed eyes staring at him.

“Okay and…?” Ginny asked. “How is that supposed to help us?”

“I was basically bankrupt before, Red, but we finally entered a time period where my family has money” he answered while tossing the pouch in his left hand and a small smile played at his lips. “I have an idea…”

Thursday, May 6th, 1999

“What the hell are you doing here?” Harry demanded as he stood up, brought out his wand, and pointed it at the blonde man sardonically smiling at everyone.

“Get out of my house!” Narcissa yelled while the color in her face drained and she took a challenging step forward as the rest of the group, who did know who the man was, aimed their wands at his chest. “You don’t belong here! Why would you come here?”

“Now, now, Cissy” the blonde ticked.

“Don’t call me that! Don’t you dare call me that!” she spat while baring her teeth and clenching her fists at her sides.

“I-I don’t understand…” Bethany spoke wearily with a hand clasped to her chest. “What is going on?”

“Where did you find this man, Bethany?” McGonagall inquired with her wand still trained on the blonde.

“H-he works at the museum. He’s a co-worker. Someone please tell me what is wrong!”

“This Death Eater,” Ron flared “is Thorfinn Rowle! He served under Voldemort, posed as a construction worker along with Antonin Dolohov, tracked Harry, Hermione, and I to Tottenham Court, and tried to capture us! Not to mention, he fought alongside other Death Eaters during the Battle of the Astronomy Tower where he accidentally killed one of his allies while trying to murder Remus Lupin with the Killing curse and burned down Hagrid’s hut! He’s a right vile son of bitch who should be locked away in Azkaban!”

“I was pardoned for my crimes, Mr. Weasley” Thorfinn stated as he stared Ron straight in the eye. “And have you forgotten that your little girlfriend is the one who modified my memories, which I was then tortured by none other than Draco Malfoy, as punishment” he calmly spoke while walking past the group as if he belonged. Picking a book up off the desk everyone who was standing by had moved from, Rowle uninterestingly scanned the cover before setting it down, turned around, and leaned back against the polished wood while resting his hands on the edge. “You don’t trust me-”

“The hell we don’t!” Neville agreed as Luna stood beside him, glancing around at the ceiling as if she was in a fantasy land.

“Like I said” Thorfinn continued “you don’t trust me. I don’t blame you as I don’t particularly trust any of you either. However, everything you know about me is false and…you need me.”

“Why the bloody hell would we need you?” Molly argued as she and Arthur stood in front of Robert to protect him from harm and Elizabeth peeked around Narcissa in curiosity.

“Because I know about your little predicament, I know about the dark magic you used to send your savior back in time, and I know more about that amulet than a dusty old tome can tell you.”

“How do you know about the amulet?” Pansy questioned while slowly lowering her wand.

“You think your mates are the only ones who were trapped in the past by that blasted thing? There’s a reason I didn’t search for the Dark Lord after his downfall during the first Wizarding War. However, he ended up finding me once he returned.”

Everyone lowered their wands as they looked to the Former Death Eater, stunned. Thorfinn picked up a glass of wine sitting behind him and took a sip before setting it down and crossing his arms.

“Are-are you saying you…defected?” Harry questioned with a raised brow. “After you were thrown through time?”

“I wouldn’t exactly call it defecting, Potter. At least not to the extent of the Malfoys, nor was I a spy like Severus Snape. However, I wasn’t necessarily on the Dark Lord’s side either. I was simply too cowardly to do anything about it, unlike Regulus.”

“Regulus?” Ron quickly asked while taking a step forward. “Regulus Black was trapped in the past…with you?”

“That would be correct.”

“When? How?” Harry demanded.

“1978. About four months after we had both received the Dark Mark and one year before…” he lowered his head for a moment and Harry almost believed the man to be upset “…before my friend…died” Thorfinn explained as he leaned off the desk, began walking around the Library, and looked at items he thought were intriguing. But unbeknownst to the people around him, he was only trying to rid the horrible memory of his best friend’s death. “One day we were ordered to watch a muggle household in London that the Dark Lord believed the Potter’s were hiding out in” he continued before turning around to face the group. “The owners were not home, so we raided the place. We found no clues that the Potter’s ever lived there but Regulus found the golden relic in the basement. I told him to put it back, so no one knew we were there…Of course, he didn’t listen. We had an argument about whether to take the stupid thing or not, when a bright green light flashed before our eyes and the amulet opened up.”

“Wait, it opened?” Theo questioned as he shook his head perplexed. “It didn’t open when my friends-”

“Dropped it? It wouldn’t” the former Death Eater stated while crossing his arms and leaning against one of the many bookshelves. “They broke the seal and the necklace needs time to repair itself. It will throw them through different periods of time, most where something important happens, but not always, as it seals the break before opening to reveal a riddle. I know this because the first of the five main eras we were jumped to, was Egypt…55 BC.”

“But that’s the year-” Neville began to interrupt.

“Advisor Osiris was stoned after his family almost burned to death in their home. But what that book didn’t tell you, was that the advisor had five children. The two oldest had their throats slit by the people who betrayed him just before they set his house on fire, and the other three were almost lynched after his death but the amulet protected them and Osiris’s wife. Regulus and I had a very long discussion with that man, and we weren’t jumped until a week later when the remainder of his loved ones slipped off in the night…with our help.”

At that moment, Narcissa conjured extra chairs and everyone in the room sat down as they waited to hear what the ex-Death Eater had to say. They didn’t trust the man completely, but he knew more about their predicament then they were fully aware of and he knew more about the amulet than what Bethany could have told him. They might not like the guy, however, he seemed to be of value and Harry was determined to see if he could find plot holes in his very interesting story.

“What did Osiris tell you, Mr. Rowle?” Luna asked sweetly.

“He wouldn’t tell us the spells he used, if that’s what you’re asking. Just about the riddle, and how the amulet works. Are-are you okay?” he inquired while his gaze stayed fixed on the Ravenclaw lost in her own little world. “Is she okay?”

“What do you get out of this?” Ron quickly cut in while ignoring the question they have all asked themselves since they had met the girl. “I mean by helping us and telling us this-this story. What’s in it for you?”

“I want to see that artifact destroyed” he answered while removing his confused stare from Luna. “Or at least hidden away well enough that it can’t throw anyone else back in time. The only way I can do that, is if your friends make it back.”

“If? What do you mean if?” McGonagall inquired as the wrinkles in her forehead creased.

“Well…” Thorfinn cleared his throat and walked over to the map. He began to study it carefully before opening his mouth to continue. “Let’s just say, where they will end up, and it’s not a matter of if but when…the five Big Ones are not for the weak.”

Jamestown, Spring of 1622

“Why? Someone please tell me why we keep having to wear the most uncomfortable clothing I have ever worn in my entire life?” Blaise whined as he adjusted his groin settled awkwardly in the knee-length breeches Ginny had transfigured for him. “My pants don’t even go to my ankles! How can anyone think this was okay?”

“It’s what they wore in the seventeenth century, Blaise” Hermione claimed while adjusting the Mob cap, also known as a bonnet with a puffed crown and frills, on her head. “They didn’t really have materials for trousers or robes. It’s not for very long, just to get in, get some food, and get out. We’ll find somewhere in the woods to spend the night, so we don’t have to deal with the people in there.”

“That still doesn’t make me any happier” he huffed. “Nor do I like the fact that Draco gets to be the wealthy looking socialite while we look like his personal servants.”

“Only you look like a servant” Ginny chuckled as she fixed the front of the Golden Girls’ open silk skirt to make sure her petticoat was not bunched up.

“And at least you can breathe” Hermione stated with a small wince while bending side to side to lessen the tightness of the Stay restricting her torso.

“Okay” Draco announced as he walked back to the group after staking out the fort entrance before suddenly halting his stride as he gawked at the slender waist of the bookworm. He quickly averted his eyes from the petite witch, but his gaze kept flickering back as he tried his hardest not to gape at her pushed up breasts. “Let’s-uh-ehem…l-let’s go over the plan one more time” he stated while looking up to the sky, willing his lustful thoughts to the back of his mind. “I don’t want to mess this up and I would really like to get out of these ridiculous clothes as soon as possible.”

“I don’t know” the brunette witch tilted her head as she studied the cravat embellished with lace tucked neatly around the blondes’ neck before looking over the long waistcoat that hemmed at his knees. “I think you look pretty dapper to me” she giggled making the Slytherin Prince slightly blush as he looked back down to her; his eyes flickering every so often to her chest.

“Anyway!” Blaise cut in while side eyeing Draco who simply shrugged in confusion. “We are going to disillusion ourselves in order to get through the gate, once we are in, hide behind a building and remove the charm, then we search for somewhere to buy food with Draco’s money, which is converted for us thanks to the charm on his pouch-still don’t know how that works-”

“And if we are stopped by anyone” Ginny added, before Blaise went off on a ramble again about the magic pouch, “then we tell them our ship crashed a few miles away and we are the only remaining survivors…so sad…and that we walked a long way to find some food before heading North to find settlement. Malfoy is the rich son of an English Lord, traveling across the sea with his family’s Italian domestic servant and his lovely beautiful wife who just so happens to also be my cousin” the redhead smiled while nudging Hermione in the arm playfully.

“Right, can we do this now? I really can’t breathe in this thing” Hermione claimed while pulling at the precursor to the modern corset before Draco brought out his wand and loosened the Stay slightly. The curly-haired witch released an unexpected gasp as she looked to the blonde and half-smiled. “Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it” he replied quietly as the idea of helping her out of the constrictive outfit once again played across his mind.

“Alright love birds” Blaise clapped his hands together as Hermione and Draco both snapped their eyes to him. “Because you’re pre-tend…married…” he raised a brow before shaking his head while trying to hold back a smirk. “Okay then, let’s get invisible!”

The four students held hands so they wouldn’t lose each other, before disillusioning themselves and carefully walking down the hill with Draco in the lead. Though he wished he was holding Hermione’s hand instead of Ginny’s, Draco knew it would take some time before the wavy-haired witch would want to be near him again without thinking he was going to assault her with his lips. He needed to be patient and show her that they could be friends first before pursuing her further…If she could ever see him as more.

Following a few strangers entering the fort, Draco guided the group around a small daub home and removed the charms like they had planned before looking around the clay building to make sure no one was glancing in their direction. Though he had expected to see a bunch of people dressed like themselves, Draco was completely thrown through a loop as to why he was also seeing tan men wearing what appeared to be deerskin breech-cloths that passed between their legs and attached to a cordage belt, and carrying provisions. They wore no shirts, but their bodies were tattooed with red paint that made Ginny, who was peering around the blonde Slytherin, begin to reanalyze the history she had learned about the town.

Not wanting to waste another second, Hermione began walking down the path between two brown homes and Draco quickly followed, not wanting her to be alone, as Ginny leaned her back against the building. The redheads’ eyes darted around the ground as she laced her fingers behind her head and Blaise curiously studied the witch, puzzled.

“You alright, Red?” he asked while his eyes flickered down the small pathway and watched as Hermione and Draco rounded the corner. As he brought his gaze back to Ginny, he realized she seemed to be thinking hard about something. “We should probably follow them…” he suggested when a solid two minutes passed in near silence.

“Jamestown was founded in 1607…” she whispered, as she replayed what Professor Eiden had explained to the class. She then began to mumble incoherent words to herself that Blaise couldn’t understand, before whispering again. “What was the tribe name that they traded goods with? Something tan…potan-No…pawatan…?” her focus suddenly snapped to the dark-skinned wizard as her eyes grew increasingly wide. “Powhatan…” she uttered while her bottom lip trembled, causing Blaise to jut his chin forward in confusion.

“Uhh, what?”

“Oh Godric, please don’t be now! Please!” she begged while throwing her head back in frustration.

“Red? What the hell-” Blaise began to question, but Ginny was already turning the corner to chase after her friends. He began to follow the redhead as quickly as he could but stopped suddenly as she halted her stride in the middle of the street. “Whoa!” he yelped while trying not to run into the witch. “What has gotten into you? What’s wrong?”

Ginny however, never said a word as she looked through the throng of people to find the other half of her group. Spotting the pair talking to a young couple, her eyes flickered to an Indian man behind the duo, welding one of the colonist’s hatchets abaft a settler. A small cry escaped her throat as the warrior brought the weapon up and quickly sliced the throat of pioneer before him, splattering blood across the daub wall nearest them, essentially launching…the Indian Massacre of 1622.

A sudden female scream reverberated off the clay buildings, forcing Hermione and Draco to turn around and witness the brutal assault before the blonde basically threw the brunette witch behind him to shield her. Stumbling backwards, Blaise grabbed Ginny’s arm and began dragging her away from the scene as the brethren of the Native American, started slaughtering anyone and everyone in their paths.

The Indians showed no remorse as they slayed both men and women and began setting houses on fire, killing livestock, and deliberately targeting the towns crops; destroying the chief source of food for the hundreds of thousands of people in smaller surrounding villages, dependent on the harvest for survival. But even though the settlers of Jamestown might have been unprepared and caught off guard by the attack, they were unwilling to be massacred so easily.

Grabbing weapons, such as Matchlock Muskets, the townspeople began to set up their very slow loading guns, before firing back at the Powhatan's. Unfortunately for those too slow to reload, they were savagely murdered in cold blood as others ran in terror. The chaos of the encampment became too much for anyone to bear witness to and Ginny could no longer see her two friends in the distance. However, she could no longer feel the dark-skinned Slytherins hands on her either.

Whirling around, she fearfully searched for the wizard who had been separated from her due to the anarchy surrounding them. Within moments she spotted him on the ground, just a few feet away, with his hands in the air as he tried to placate the Native American hovering over him with a hammer.

Without hesitating, the redhead grabbed a clay pot tumbling on the ground and quickly ran up to the Indian, whose back was turned to her, and smashed it over the man’s head. A sickening crunch could be heard as the pottery shattered onto his skull and the built Powhatan abruptly crashed to the terrain as he lost consciousness.

With his eyes wide, Blaise stared at Ginny, whose chest rose and fell rapidly with ragged breaths. The Slytherin’s mouth fell open in surprise before the redhead reached out a hand and helped him up.

“Um…thanks” he stated, his mind still racing at the memory replaying in his head.

Though yet again, Ginny, never said a word and instead swiftly grabbed the back of the Slytherins’ head before pulling him into an unexpected heated kiss. To say he was shocked was an understatement, but Blaise quickly found himself kissing the witch in return before she suddenly pulled back and bit her bottom lip in embarrassment. He was about to bring her in for another passionate moment when a warrior came charging at the pair and Blaise immediately pulled Ginny out of the way, dodging the hatchet by mere inches.

Ginny then promptly grabbed Blaise’s left hand and ran behind the nearest building. They were no sooner out of sight when the dark-haired wizard sensed his hand pull away from the Gryffindor and he gripped onto her harder. The next thing he knew, everything went black, and his body felt like it was being ripped in all different directions. When his sight finally returned to normal, seconds later, Blaise stood in a grassy field as nausea filled his throat and he found himself unable to hold back.

Vomiting on ground, the Slytherin realized that he had just undergone a side-along apparition. He had never apparated with anyone before and the feeling was completely different than when he did it alone, but he was grateful to be out of the town undergoing a cleansing of its people.

Standing up straight while wiping his mouth with his white sleeve, he noticed the redhead was not with him. It suddenly occurred to him that he was in the same exact spot he had landed when the amulet jumped them to 1622. Racing up the hill as fast as his feet could carry him, Blaise spotted his three friends standing at the top, huddled together, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

“Blaise!” Draco yelled when he looked off to the left and began to sprint towards his out of breath friend who was doubled over with a clear stitch in his side. “Are you alright?” he asked as he stopped and laid a hand on Blaise’s back.

“I’m okay!” he replied while panting hard and holding up a finger. He once again stood up straight and looked to Ginny while exhaling heavily. “Never…apparate me again.”

Ginny smiled widely before chuckling and quickly brought the wizard into an unexpected hug. While the group laughed and thanked Merlin they were alive, Hermione walked off to her right with a frown gracing her lips as she listened to the carnage happening in Jamestown and tried to reign in her emotions. Draco noticed the brunette standing just a few meters away and pulled himself from his friends to check on her.

“Hey…” he began as he gently touched the bookworms’ shoulder. Hermione glanced up at him with water in her eyes before looking back to the black smoke billowing out of the town with pinched lips. “You okay?”

“Are any of us okay?” she answered softly; never taking her eyes off the smog as she removed the bonnet upon her head. “I mean…” she paused for a moment as she licked her lips and bit her tongue, her head bobbing up and down as she tried to hold back her tears. “Everywhere we end up…people are-are dying. I thought after the war…” she choked while throwing her head back slightly. “Why does this keep happening? Are-are we cursed?” she questioned while finally looking up to the blonde Prince with pleading eyes, praying he had an answer when she knew he clearly didn’t. “Why do people keep dying around us?”

“I-I…” his gaze softened as he tried to find the right words to help ease the pain the brunette was feeling, but he couldn’t think of anything. Not a single thought of how to explain why death always surrounded them came to mind because he had absolutely no idea. But when Hermione turned her focus to the smoke rising into the sky, Draco reached out, placed his fingers under her chin, and brought her gaze back his; though she kept her sight averted to the ground. “Look at me, Hermione…” her eyes flickered up to his soft grey ones at the sound of him using her given name and the words he needed so desperately, unexpectedly came to him.

He may not have the answers she was looking for, but he understood what she was asking. Looking over their childhoods and his particular ‘training’ he idly wondered himself if they had all been cursed in some way. Although, it was because he understood the question, he had asked himself every day since second year, he knew what was really scaring her and it wasn’t just the deaths they all bore witness to. “I can’t tell you what you wanna hear, Hermione. But what I can tell you, is that you never have to worry because I will always be there to keep you safe. I’m the team’s protector, remember? I won’t ever let anything hurt you…not even me.”

Hermione looked to Draco as her bottom lip quivered before glancing to Ginny and Blaise whispering to each other.

“Promise…” she nearly pleaded as her focus stayed strictly on the pair off to her right.

“I promise…”

Lowering her head back to the ground, Hermione wrapped her arms around Draco’s waist and rested her cheek against his silk-clad chest. He froze for a moment, wondering if it was okay to hug her back, before lifting his arms and cradling the witch in a strong embrace. She wanted to kiss him. She wanted more than anything to feel his lips upon hers, to feel his fingers caress her skin again, to tell him that she did indeed feel safe with him…but doubt and logic kept interfering.

As long as darkness and death kept happening around her, she couldn’t risk feeling anything more than what she felt now. If something were to ever happen to him or even to her, she didn’t want to put their hearts through that torment. Staying strictly friends with Draco was the only way to keep them both sheltered from the pain. She had already done it once with Ron and their friendship ended up being better because of it. Although, now the thoughts of how Harry and Ron would react when they found out about her friendship with the blonde, played through her mind.

But before Hermione could think further about the backlash and opinions of her friends knowing she trusted the Slytherin Prince, she felt another hand wrap around her shoulders, and she opened her eyes to see both Ginny and Blaise cradling her alongside Draco.

While the four students held tightly to each other, the piercing noise of the amulet drowned out the sound of the massacre below. They no longer seemed to care as they awaited the next jump, and just wished to be anywhere else. The crying of women, the screams of children, the yelling of men…it was too much to bear and no matter where the past took them next, it would be better than the slaughter of a colony they all knew…would retaliate.

Thursday, May 6th, 1999

“How can we trust anything you say?” Pansy bit as she crossed her arms and glared at Thorfinn. “How can we trust that your little tale is true? For all we know you researched Osiris in a library or Ms. Woodrow told you about him!”

“I didn’t tell him anything about Osiris” Bethany retorted as she looked around at the faces staring at her. “I swear, I didn’t. I only mentioned that four people were lost in the past and he demanded to come with when I received Minerva’s Owl.”

Everyone’s attention moved back to Thorfinn who licked his lips before releasing an exacerbated exhale and crossed his arms.

“I only took the job opening in Security to watch over the damn relic. My one day off and of course someone had to mess with it” he scoffed. “I thought the thing would be safe in a muggle museum. It’s not typical human behavior to touch, let alone pick up things, in a historical place.” Theo looked down and away while biting the inside of his cheek in embarrassment, and Thorfinn sharply exhaled through his nose because he knew who was responsible. “When I heard that something had occurred in the Ancient Egypt exhibit when I arrived to work today, during a class field trip, I had a strong feeling it had to do with that amulet. Sure enough…I was right.”

“Okay, let’s pretend that everything you are saying is true” Harry claimed with a raised hand; his mind going a thousand miles per minute. However, if the ex-Death Eater could help them understand what was happening to his friends and peers, then the least they could do was hear him out. They couldn’t really do anything to bring his classmates back, so it’s not like the man could waste their time, but to know what was in store for the four and possibly figure out what Harry himself had witnessed, maybe it could ease the worry they all felt. “You said they will go through five big ones…I’m assuming you mean five eras?”

“Yes, Potter.”

“So, they’re a test?”

“No” Thorfinn sighed softly as he looked back up at the map and studied it for a few seconds before conjuring different colored thumbtacks from a few coins in his pocket. “The five are called Big One’s for a reason. They aren’t a test, so much as a way to show a person the faults in their lives as well as their strengths and their weaknesses. If more than one person is thrown back, then they need to work together to make it out.”

“Why can’t we bring them back?” Neville asked as Rowle bounced the thumbtacks in his right hand while still looking over the map.

The blonde stopped playing with the pushpins and slowly turned around before running his left hand over his chin.

“They’re supposed to be there” he claimed gently. “The riddle states that they aren’t supposed to change anything, meaning they can’t kill someone who isn’t supposed to die or save someone who was not supposed to live. Although, what they do in the past is supposed to happen. It’s hard to explain but they were fated to be thrown back. Otherwise, we would not be having this conversation right now.”

“I don’t understand” Theo chimed in. “How would we know if they changed something? And what do you mean they are supposed to be there?”

The former Death Eater shook his head before stepping off the stage and setting the points on the desk Harry was sitting at.

“Let me start from the beginning. It will answer all of your questions, I promise…”

“I’ll call for some tea” Narcissa stated before summoning Valky and requesting he bring a large pot of Darjeeling before waving for Rowle to continue.

“Anyway…Like I was saying” Thorfinn claimed while leaning forward onto the desk. “Right before the amulet sends a person through time, they get what appears to be a riddle in the form of a poem. The last few lines will change depending on the era and the ancestor that the person, or group, will encounter but the rest will stay the same. Each time your friends jump, they will get a clue as to where they will land. They will sometimes be together but most of the time they will arrive separated. It all depends on what it is they are to accomplish in that time period. Once the lesson is learned, a new clue will be provided, and they move on to the next year.”

“Alright, so then why aren’t they home yet?” Harry questioned after thinking over what he had seen during his spirit walk.

“What do you mean, Harry?” Ron asked as he rested his elbows on his thighs.

“I mean, I saw five time periods during my walk. A Dinosaur, a desert, a gathering of men in a stone room, a cold cave, and then the volcano…”

“Those weren’t the Big Ones, Potter. They have nothing to do with Osiris or his ancestry” Rowle sighed. He had seemed to be doing a lot of that lately and he was beginning to question if the group before him would ever understand. “You’re not factoring in the London period or the fact that the blood on your little map has just moved to America, 1622. I told you before, your friends broke the relic, it needs to fix itself. Each place it sends them, it will heal a little more until it seals and reveals the riddle. Once this discussion is over, I would like to go through those places you saw and pin them on the map so we can get a clearer picture.

“Also, I looked at the video footage of when it happened and enhanced the crack. It will take at least two or three more jumps before they end up where they were meant to. And as for the dark magic you all preformed to send Potter back in time…” he exhaled sharply as he looked to Harry in disappointment “you’re lucky to be alive. Not even the Dark Lord wanted to mess with that kind of power. It’s too unstable and too unpredictable. His Horcruxes wouldn’t even bring him back if he couldn’t return to his body in time because technically, he wouldn’t be dead…but he wouldn’t be alive either.”

“We were just trying to find them” Elizabeth declared in defense. “We hoped my daughter could tell us how we could help on our end.”

“Ahh, a muggle is in our mist” the blonde wizard snorted with a click of his tongue. “Well, Miss…”

“Mrs. Granger” she asserted while holding her husbands’ hand.

“Mrs. Granger. I know your daughter well” he sneered when he recalled the witch removing his memories in the café. He still couldn’t fully recall how they escaped. “But I will let you in on a little secret. Your daughter and her friends can’t come back unless they follow the rules. If one of them breaks a rule they could damn themselves to whatever year they broke the rule in, until they die. And even if they don’t, they must survive through chaos, slaughters, persecution, injustice, hate, and so much more until the amulet deems them worthy enough to send them home. This isn’t some school assignment where you receive an O for getting things right; this is raw magic, dark magic, and lives are quite literally at stake.”

“Okay, well you didn’t answer how we would know if they change something” Theo added, upset he was basically being ignored.

“Do you know what Déjà vu is?” Rowle asked just as Valky returned with a large teapot, charmed to refill itself.

“Yeah” the brunette answered with a shrug of his shoulders as the house elf began to pass out the hot beverage. “It’s when you get a feeling that you have done, or seen, something before.”

“It’s like that. You won’t know history changed but you will get a feeling as if something wasn’t quite right. For instance, Dumbledore’s death. I changed history that day by killing a fellow Death Eater. You all assume the killing curse I threw was aimed for one of your Professors. It wasn’t. Gibbon re-entered the battle because he didn’t like the idea of being alone in the tower while waiting for Dumbledore to return. As I was dueling, throwing hexes and curse recklessly, the Professor-”

“Lupin” Luna chirped with a large smile, making Rowle raise a brow at her. However, he couldn’t help but feel charmed by the strange girl who once again went back to looking around the ceiling, as Valky exited the room.

“Professor Lupin…” he corrected himself “was dueling someone, I couldn’t see who. My intention was not to kill him but make it appear that I was still on the side of the dark. So, I threw a killing curse at the wall to scare him. Unfortunately for Gibbon however, he stepped forward and directly into the line of the curse right behind Lupin. To you, history is just fine, but when you think about that day and hear of how I ‘accidentally’ killed a Death Eater, something doesn’t feel right about it…does it?

“The first time I went through that day, Gibbon didn’t die. If I didn’t inadvertently murder a man the second time, your Professor would never have never been able to fight in the war and protect those who needed it. And you, Potter” he turned his attention to Harry who narrowed his brows in confusion “you would have killed me instead of just hexing me.”

“I-I…Now that you mention it…you recklessly throwing spells doesn’t seem like something a Death Eater would do…and I was full of vengeance that night. I could have easily killed you.”

“You should have. I could see it in your eyes when you pointed your wand at me as you chased after Snape. You wanted to kill me, and I thought you would have, but the amulet jumped us before the Unforgivable could escape your lips. When we returned to 1978, I knew I had to fix that night. Not just for my sake but for the sake of the Wizarding World. Because of the amulet, I was able to see the events play out before that day ever came. So…the accidental assassination you all believe…was actual murder. Afterwards, I fled. I went into hiding until the Battle of Hogwarts ended. Which is why no one knew of my whereabouts…until now.”

“Where was Regulus during all this?” Ron inquired with a slight tilt of his head while Thorfinn took a sip of the tea. “The man was supposed to be dead. We all thought he was dead during that fight.”

“We were in that era for two months. Each Big One, the days extend into weeks, then to months; years I presume as well. Anyway,” he declared while setting his cup down “Regulus wanted nothing to do with the Dark Lord after finding out he made not one, but seven, Horcruxes. So, while I pretended to blend in to gather information and not get myself killed, Regulus was scouring all of Europe for the locations of the Horcruxes. He still thought he was a Death Eater, but his arm never burned when the Dark Lord called us, so he took that advantage and I told him everything I eavesdropped on.

“One day he decided to break the Butterfly rule and speak to Dumbledore. They had concluded after many days, that Salazar Slytherin’s Locket was a Horcrux. Both agreed to keep the information a secret with Dumbledore pretending like nothing had happened and he came upon the information himself. The Headmaster, however, did allow Regulus to place a tracking charm on him so that he could find the thing once we returned home, to our original timeline. When we came back, Regulus bided his time until he could duplicate the Locket and switch it out…and well, you all know the rest after that. But the thing is…we were supposed to be there, and we were supposed to do all that stuff. Almost like…fate. Only we caused a slight ripple by telling Dumbledore.”

“That would explain the strange feeling I got when he told me about the Locket…” Harry claimed with narrow brows.

“This…” Molly cut in as she rubbed her temples with her fingers “this is a lot of information. Too much to just make up out of the blue. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but…I-I believe you.”

“I agree” both Arthur and McGonagall stated in unison.

“Right…” Robert shook his head in disbelief. The last thing he had ever expected when he heard his daughter was missing, was to be standing in the middle of a massive library, in the same manor Hermione was tortured in, while listening to an ex-Death Eater explain how time travel, he never even knew was possible, worked. “Okay” he exhaled sharply while running his hands down his face. “Ignoring all this history stuff that my wife and I have absolutely no clue what you’re talking about, you mentioned that you knew about the ritual…Can you tell us about that?”

Thorfinn’s eyes flickered over the male muggle as he crossed his arms and observed the sweating fear glistening across his forehead from the piercing stare the former Death Eater was giving him.

“Please?” Pansy requested. A word she rarely ever used in her life but a word that had somehow managed to escape her lips when she thought something she helped with, would harm the Gryffindor savior.

The former Death Eater’s eyes snapped to the Slytherin girl and he narrowed his brows just as the years on the map began to flip through eras again, but this time faster than it had before.

“The ritual you preformed was created by a wizard who turned dark sometime during the Middle Ages, when the love of his life was executed after being outed as a witch; well what we call witches today, and he spent many years trying to prefect the ceremony in order to go back in time to save his lover and exact his revenge. It was the first ever recorded instance of time travel; before time-turners were ever invented…However, he discovered that he could only transport his spirit and he held no token of his companion. So, he had to use something off someone who was there, but we don’t know who. He tried again after a few weeks of recuperating to gain his energy back, but it wasn’t enough recovery time. No one knows what happened to him after he attempted a second run, though it’s assumed he was…is…still lost in the past.”

“And Voldemort?” Bethany finally chimed in.

“The Dark Lord studied that ritual day in and day out after he returned in a new body and had a few of his minions try and find anything they could on the topic. He wanted to go back to when Potter’s mother shielded him as a baby and undo his mistake. After discovering everything he could, he realized the risk he would be taking and abandoned the fools’ errand. Too many chances to cause a ripple in space and create alternate realities…never being able to return back to the original. But during the research we came upon, we found a lot more than the tomb, you all studied, told you.”

“How do I not know about this?” Narcissa questioned with a hand clasped to her chest.

“Only a few were tasked with the mission and we were sworn to secrecy under the Unbreakable Vow. Though once the Dark Lord fell…the vows became null and void.”

“So, what did you find that wasn’t in our research?” Neville asked while standing up to stretch his legs.

“That there are always repercussions with something like this…you can’t escape it. But with that, two other things. One, when you pull back to your body, you can sometimes bring the environment surrounding you back as well.”

“You’re saying that Mr. Potter was actually in that ash cloud?” Madam Pomfrey questioned. Though she had stayed silent during the entire encounter, along with Bethany, as they only knew so much, she was determined to make sure Harry was completely out of the woods before returning to the school. “And that the ash I pulled out of his lungs was actually from a real volcano?”

“I said I was! Did no one listen to that speech I gave not that long ago?” Harry complained.

“You were in an ash cloud?” Thorfinn inquired in complete shock as he glanced to Harry with wide eyes. “Salazar, what the bloody hell were you all thinking? No wait, never mind, I already know. Merlin’s beard, you must have some sort of guardian watching over you or something, Potter, because you should be dead right now.” The pale blonde simply shook his head in amazement.

“What’s the second thing you found, Mr. Rowle?” Luna chirped with a tilt of her head and the wizard sighed before answering.

“You need a token of the person you’re searching for-well, wait…Did you close off the ritual before tending to Potter?”

“Oh, Godric Gryffindor!” Molly exclaimed with a hand pressed firmly to her forehead.

“Great…!” he scoffed while waving a hand in the air. “That token is now connected to Potter’s soul. Now this is good and it’s bad” he claimed while dropping his shoulders and crossing his arms. “The connection to whoever he was focusing on-”

“Draco” Luna corrected once more.

“Please, stop doing that…” Rowle pleaded while rolling his eyes. “The connection to Draco” he continued while rubbing his brows with his fingers, “won’t break until he returns home. You, Potter, will also receive random flashes of what he is seeing and experiencing, which is good considering you can tell us what is happening. You might even feel the pain or pleasure, if he is undergoing any as well, but only during the visions.”

“I am to assume that that…is the good thing…” McGonagall inquired, with worry embedding her tone.

“The bad, Professor,” Thorfinn sighed, “is if Draco somehow manages to die in the past…so will Potter…”


	10. Riddle Me This

Chapter 10- Riddle Me This

65-110 Million Years Ago

Draco slowly stood up and brushed the dirt off of his pioneer outfit when he heard a loud blood curdling scream emit from behind him. Thinking one of the girls was in trouble, he quickly whipped his body around only to find Blaise shrieking like an adolescent as he stared up at a colossal long necked dinosaur trying to eat a few leaves off the top of a tall tree. Admittedly the blonde was thrown back and terrified as well, but he knew the animal was an herbivore and wouldn't eat Blaise like the dark-haired wizard was apparently thinking. However, Blaise's horrified screams continued, alerting the two Gryffindors who came running through a herd of Protoceratops grazing in the field, minding their own business.

Draco rushed to his friends' side and pulled him out of the way of the massive dinosaur stepping to the right to reach the leaves it so desperately wanted, before flicking its enormous tail, forcing the boys to duck as it whipped through the air while Hermione and Ginny abruptly stopped, just short of the Slytherins.

A group of five Saichania's, all of whom had no care for the humans staring at their spiked armored backs and large club tails, separated the girls from the guys while nonchalantly walking closer to the center of the grassy plain to eat with a herd of Prenocephale's and Avimimus's scattered around a five-mile radius. Dinosaurs, big and small, seemed to have surrounded them in all directions, and none of the four knew what the hell to do.

"What the fuck is that thing!" Blaise screeched as he moved to hide behind Draco and the remainder of their peers finally caught up to them.

"A Quaesitosaurus…maybe?" Draco replied while eyeing the massive extinct beast with his arms crossed. "Or it could be an Erketu…They all look very much the same."

"A Nemegtosaurus?" Hermione added while tilting her head as she too thought about the long neck dinosaur chewing away at greens before them.

"Oh, good one" the blonde ticked while pointing a finger in the air. "I forgot about those."

"I am not even going to ask how the fuck you know those names let alone how to pronounce them, but whatever the fuck that thing is, can we please get out of here before it eats us or something else much worse, does?" the dark-skinned wizard yelled before whimpering as he coward behind the Slytherin Prince in absolute terror.

"It's an herbivore, Blaise" the brunette chuckled before she went back to staring in awe of the magnificent creature. "It only eats vegetation."

"Why are we back here?" Ginny cut in with her eyes staring wide at the many living fossils surrounding them. "Why the hell are we back in the Cre-Cret-"

"Cretaceous period" her best friend finished for her. "I honestly have no clue, but-" she went on to claim before witnessing Blaise bolt towards a giant hill to get away from the beings that could squash him in an instant beneath their immense feet. "I guess we're following him?" she shrugged before the group raced to catch up to the traumatized Slytherin.

After dodging monumental tails, tall mounds of dinosaur excrement, and avoiding tiny little theropods running amuck, the four students made it to the top of the hill covered by a dense coniferous forest, completely out of breath. But as they rested for a few seconds, Ginny caught sight of an unmoving large bright red light suspended in the sky just off to her left. She raised a brow in confusion, because she knew for a fact it wasn't the sun, nor did it look like any star that normally shined in the daylight. Ignoring the strange light for now that appeared to be growing brighter, she looked to the ground when she felt something hard underneath her shoe.

Lifting her foot slightly, the redhead spotted a shiny green stone resting in the grass and she tilted her head with curiosity implanted in the lines of her forehead. Slowly bending down to pick up the bizarre item that didn't seem to belong, she admired its beauty before turning around to see her friends holding their wands out, and fear…embedded in their eyes.

Gripping the stone tightly in a fist, Ginny's eyes turned to what had her group in such a fright and she released a small whimper when she instantly recognized the feathered turkey-size animal belting out a sound that was very similar to a Stellar Sea Eagle. Rushing to Blaise's side, she unholstered her wand and pointed it at the bird-like beast before recalling what Hermione had said in the museum.

"Shite!" she stated while quickly rotating her body and pressing her back up against the dark-haired wizards' so that she was now facing away from the Velociraptor.

Though when Hermione caught sight of what her friend was doing, her eyes grew even wider, and she hastily turned to her left.

"What the hell are you two doing?" Blaise asked in a whisper, his eyes never wavering from the dinosaur in from of him.

"Oh, for the love of…!" Draco announced while throwing his head back when he understood what was happening, before rotating to his right. "She's a bloody distraction…Clever girl…"

But before Blaise could utter a word and question what the hell his friends where talking about, three more Velociraptors emerged from the trees and eerily growled as one stood before each of them.

"Son of fucking Unicorn!" he cursed aloud while pointing his wand steadily at the carnivore in front of him. "Can we apparate back?"

"If you want to apparate back into that herd below, be my guest" Draco stated through gritted teeth as he stared his enemy down. "But just a heads up, there are carnivores and omnivores down there as well."

"Merlin's left saggy tit!" Blaise exclaimed while sulking his shoulders and throwing his head back.

However, a large supersonic shock wave echoed through the air, causing the Velociraptors to quickly scamper away and the four to glance up at a six-mile-wide asteroid, or what scientist call Chicxulub, breaking through the Earths' atmosphere at forty-five thousand miles per minutes. Crashing into the surface, the energy it produced during its impact, was roughly seven billion times more powerful than the atomic bombs dropped on Japan in the 1940's, and it rocked the ground so violently beneath their feet, they all unwillingly fell to the forest soil.

But as the group watched in horror and shielded their faces with their arms, a molten debris filled cloud, hotter than the surface of the sun, rushed at them at an impressive speed, killing everything…in its path. However, the group unexpectedly was sucked through a green vortex with absolutely no prior warning like they were used; no piercing noise rang in their ears, not even a green glow could be seen. They were simply jumped through time while everything around them, plunged into eternal darkness.

Thursday, May 6th, 1999

"Oh, Godric! What have we done?" Professor McGonagall inquired with a hand over her mouth as she released a small whimper.

"Relax" Thorfinn stated as he picked up the thumbtacks from the desk and walked back up to the map. "Draco is a sharp lad, the Dark Lord made sure of that. If anyone is strong enough to survive the past, it's him" he claimed while juggling the tacks in his right hand before pinning two in the locations he knew the group had gone through. "Now Potter, I want you to try and remember everything you can about what you saw on your Spirit Walk. Every detail you can recall matters if we are going to try and pinpoint where and when your friends were. We can then document it all so in case this ever happens again, which Salazar, I hope it doesn't, then at least there will be a better understanding as to what to expect."

As the raven-haired wizard thought about what the former Death Eater was asking, Thorin summoned a quill and parchment before setting the objects on top of the white piano sitting just off to the side of the wall to wall map.

"Um…okay" Harry sighed as he leaned forward on the desk he was still sitting at and folded his hands on the wood. "I mean I just found out I could die if Draco does too, so what the heck do I have to lose, right?"

"He won't die…I hope…"

"That's comforting…" he rolled his eyes while resting his forehead against his fingertips and exhaled deeply. "Okay well, the first one is easy. There was a dinosaur."

"Not as easy as you may believe, Potter" Rowle claimed. "The Mesozoic era was a large era for dinosaurs, which stretched from 248 to sixty-five million years ago and it was divided into the three time periods. The Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous" he declared as he turned around like he was teaching a class. "You need to be more specific in which dinosaur you saw, before I can correctly mark it."

"Alright, it was a T-Rex then."

"Ahh, the Tyrannosaurus. One of the largest land carnivores of all time and they lived…in the Cretaceous period. Good" the blonde stated while walking over to the parchment before scribbling a small note upon the paper and then suddenly ripping it. Marching back to map, he glanced around the wall before placing a pin in the western hemisphere of North America with the parchment firmly attached. "Okay, next one" he asserted without looking back.

"Uh, it was desert…Hot. Um, there was a bunch of dead bodies and animals scattered around outside the front gate of some city. I-it looked old."

"Narcissa?" Thorfinn began to question while rotating around. "Do you have any history books around? Preferably muggle history."

"Y-Yes" the witch answered as an archive recorder floated down to her the instant she knew she had to search for a large amount of books. "It will take a few moments to collect everything though."

"Alright, you do that while we go over the second era."

"I'll help you" McGonagall quickly added while summoning a cart.

It took about fifteen minutes before everyone in the room had a pile of tomes sitting in front of them and another ten before they all began to try and search for anything resembling the details Harry had given them.

"Wait!" the Golden Boy exclaimed as he paused with his hands hovering over an open book, causing everyone to freeze momentarily. "There was a flag. A-a red flag." He furrowed his brows as he thought hard about the writing that was written on it. "Luna, if I draw out what I saw on the fabric, can you identify it?"

"Sure, Harry! Do you think it was a language?" the Ravenclaw beamed as she walked over to Harry with a quill and parchment in her hands.

"Yeah, uh, Japanese o-or Chinese, maybe? It was definitely an Asian Dialect, that I'm sure of."

"Okay. Let's see it" she smiled warmly while handing the items over.

Harry began to draw, to the best of his ability, the writing he had seen on the crimson flag in the desert. It wasn't his best work, not that he could really draw, at least nothing like what Hermione could do, but when he felt satisfied with his efforts, he handed the parchment to Luna.

The blonde witch took a moment to study the drawing, turning it clockwise and counterclockwise before finally rotating the paper upside down as everyone watched in eager anticipation.

"Ah…You were looking at it the wrong way" she explained cheerfully. "It's Chinese; Mandarin to be specific…Han Wu…It's from the Han Dynasty" she chirped with a wide grin.

"Now we're getting somewhere!" Thorfinn clapped his palms together before summoning a book into his hand and began skimming through it.

Six drawn out minutes had passed before Pansy suddenly jumped excitedly from her seat directly across from Harry, while biting her bottom lip; making the Boy-Who-Lived raise a brow in her direction and stare at her infectious smile. He had never really taken notice of the raven-haired girl before but as the candlelight illuminated her olive complexion, he couldn't help but think that she was rather pretty. The whispered rumors of her having a pug nose flitted through his mind as he took her in, however he strongly disagreed with the fabricated gossip. Though he quickly shook the thought from his mind and looked away as he realized who he was thinking about.

"What is it, Ms. Parkinson?" McGonagall inquired as she gazed over her spectacles resting neatly upon her nose. "What did you find?"

Pansy inhaled deeply as she looked to the Professor before glancing around the room at all the faces staring at her; waiting for an explanation about her abrupt excitement.

"Uh well, it-it was m-mentioned that P-Potter was in a des-desert" she began nervously. Pansy Parkinson was a very smart girl, but she was terrible when it came to public speaking, which is one of the reasons she never raised her hand in class. She was only a few points behind Draco and Hermione in their year, but because she never participated much or answered questions when asked, she appeared daft to most of the school. And now she stood in front of everyone, putting herself in the spotlight as she played restlessly with her fingers and small beads of sweat began to pelt her forehead. "Um…S-so I-I looked up all the m-major des-deserts…in Ch-China…"

Harry glanced up at the Slytherin Princess in confusion when he heard a soft whimper escape her throat and noticed how pale she had become. Leaning forward slightly, he looked down at the desk, so not to be obvious, and began to whisper.

"Are you alright?" he asked so that only she could hear him.

Flushing lightly, Pansy's bottom lip quivered as she glanced down at the book in front of her.

"I-I don't like talking in front of large crowds…" she muttered.

"Okay, then jus-"

"Get on with it, Pans, we don't have all day" Theo interrupted in irritation. He knew the girl had stage fright and any other time he would be patient with her, but in that moment, he didn't care. He was still annoyed about the argument they'd had that morning where she explicitly tried to hurt him and didn't want to hear her voice any more than he had to. "Just tell us what you found so we can move on to the next time period" he grumbled with a roll of his eyes.

"You know what, Nott" Harry snarled as he stood up snapped his focus to Theo, "I think you have already caused enough problems for us, alright! How about you just shut it, unless you actually have something important to say, or do us all a favor and piss off! Your choice!"

"Geez, Harry" Ron cut in while scratching his cheek, "it's not that serious."

However, the raven-haired Gryffindor simply ignored his friend and turned his scowl to Pansy, who was looking at him in utter shock, before softening his features and taking a deep breath.

"You were saying, Parkinson?"

"I-I-I…" she stuttered, and everyone could hear Theo snort while trying to hold back a laugh, forcing the Slytherin girl to look at him with tears brewing in her eyes. Normally she wouldn't have cared about her house mate's antics and would fight back, but this time was different. She was embarrassed and ashamed about her lack of public speaking skills and hated that she was always looked upon as stupid when she wasn't. And Theo laughing at her weakness, made her want to bolt as she broke down.

"Pansy, what'd you find?" Harry prodded gently, pulling the raven-haired girls' focus back to him. "No, don't look at them" he stated as Pansy went to gaze at all the eyes still staring at her again, "just talk to me. Tell me what you found."

"Um…I-I found out the Go-Gobi Desert in Ch-China has had a-a lot of battles fought in it…" she anxiously claimed, all while keeping her piercing dark eyes on Harry. "D-during the Han Dynasty…there was a particular one t-that helped open the S-Silk Road called, The War of the Heavenly Horses…which would make the city you s-saw, Day-Dayuan."

"Okay" he nodded with an encouraging smile. Why he was being so nice to the girl who used to help Draco torment him, he had no idea, but no one should feel embarrassed because of a flaw they had, and for some strange reason, he wanted to help Pansy feel like she belonged. "Can you tell me what year that battle took place?"

"Autumn…102 BC" she answered with a small smile of her own playing at her lips.

"Alright, that's great" he beamed without even realizing he was still only looking at Pansy. "Thank you, Pansy." He turned to Thorfinn who had just finished pinning the location and date onto the map before inhaling sharply and sat back down as he recalled the next era. "So, the next place" he continued while trying to shake the odd encounter with the Slytherin, as Pansy kept a curious eye on him. "I was in a stone room with a lot of men in strange clothing…tunics I believe they're called. They were all talking when an older man walked in and I guess he was arguing with someone, I couldn't understand them, but the guy he was conversing with drew a knife and tried to stab the older man-"

"Julius Caesar" the Headmistress interrupted. "That part of history is very famous, even to magical folks like us. He is one of only a few muggles where we have adapted his work into our own systems. Like the first political news sheet he had publish. He even fixed the broken Roman calendar which was a rather confusing mess, that helped create the Gregorian Calendar or New Style as we called it back then, which we use today. His was mourned by thousands in our world after news of his death spread."

"How do we not know about him?" Ron questioned curiously.

"You would, if you had added Muggle Studies to your class schedule like Ms. Lovegood and Ms. Parkinson have, Mr. Weasley" the Professor smirked ever so softly, causing Ron's cheeks to flush in embarrassment.

"What year was that again?" Narcissa questioned as she tried to remember what she herself was taught when she attended Hogwarts.

"44 BC" Robert answered without looking up from the history book he had been studying while everyone else had carried on with their conversations, before glancing up to see all eyes on him. "What? I am a muggle, remember?" he claimed with a shake of his head before looking back to the tome.

"Okay then" Rowle announced before pinning a tack on Rome. "What's next, Potter?"

"Um…Oh, a cave and…it was really cold. There was a caveman of sorts too, carrying a wolf carcass, and some tools on his belt. Though I could have sworn it was a Dire Wolf…It's one of my favorite animals. Anyway, it seemed like he was going to attack me but when he got close, he ended up going through me. I-I think he might have attacked Draco or possibly someone else and Draco stopped it. I caught a glimpse of his blonde hair along with a few drawings on the cave walls."

"That sounds eerily like the Ice Age" Elizabeth stated proudly. "Though, I'm not too sure as to which one. There were about five major ones documented."

"Humans didn't really start to exist until five to seven million years ago" Luna proclaimed. "However, two and half million years ago is when flaking crude stone tools came into existence" she continued before looking to Harry. "Were there any spear points around? How modern looking was the man? Could you see the cave drawings?"

"Uhhhh, I don't know" he shrugged. "I guess modern enough to clothe himself and create a whole cave full of things to survive. And I didn't really have time to study anything."

"I think we should go with the Pleistocene Epoch" she nodded while staring unseeingly at the desk in front of her. "The late stages if he was that evolved. Can't really say an exact year but maybe ten to, I don't know, twenty thousand years ago; possibly fifty."

"I'll put that range" Thorfinn claimed, "but without a specific area…I guess I'll have to mark it somewhere in the North. I suppose the Antarctic will have to do for now. He rotated back to the Chosen One. "Now, Potter…I know this last era is-"

"The one I almost died in…" he cut in flatly as he crossed his arms. However, he caught a sorrow filled look from not only Elizabeth, who was sitting right next to him, but Pansy as well, and it befuddled him as to why she would care if he almost died. Shaking away the baffling concept that Slytherins' Princess would show any interest in his well-being, Harry licked his lips as he strongly juggled with the idea of telling the group everything he had seen. But he then decided the kiss he saw…was better left unsaid. At least for now. "I don't know where I was. I was too focused on the giant ash cloud hurtling towards me" he half lied. Though his focus was on the cloud, he had noticed other details as well; the kiss excluded.

"There were no clues? Nothing at all?" Molly worryingly inquired.

"Not really…but I did see them" he admitted somberly. "It was the first time I had since, well since the museum. The girls were in colored fabric and the guys…they-they looked like they had just been in some sort of fight and they didn't have any shirts on…though ash…i-it was everywhere. They were running for their lives away from a city, but…Hermione fell…" he paused for a moment while inhaling sharply as he thought about the last time, he had seen his best friend. "She couldn't keep going. Ginny turned back to help her and surprisingly so did Draco and Blaise. I-I watched as they tried to carry her, and I raced as fast as I could to help, but…the cloud was gaining too much speed. It was almost…it was almost like they knew it was over…like everything was over…"

Everyone's eyes began to water as most of the room had hands clasped against their chests. However, they knew the group was still alive. Not only because Harry was and the map showed they were still together, but because if they had died, he would have told them sooner. Though the story was still heartbreaking to hear.

"What happened, Harry?" Neville questioned in almost a whisper.

Harry licked his lips as he struggled to hold back tears at the image of his peers willing to accept death and remembered he still held on to the Malfoy family heirloom. Pulling the ring out of his pocket, he studied it for a moment before standing up, walking over to Narcissa, and handing her the antique.

"I can't really explain what happened because I have no idea where to even start" he spoke softly as he looked Narcissa in the eye, almost as if he was saying he was sorry. Sorry for not being able to pull her son back, sorry for not being able to speak to him and let him know how much they were all searching for a way to bring them home…sorry that her son had to experience the might of an indignant mountain. "But no one should have had to see what I did."

Narcissa bottom lip quivered as she held back the tears begging to be set free as Harry bowed his head and walked back to his seat. "I saw a green light develop around them and before I could even blink, they disappeared, and I was caught in the…in the cloud. It…burned…like…" he shook his head as he recalled the memory he wished to forget and choked on his words. "Like a never-ending inferno; like I was trapped in a literal hell. My skin peeled off my body and…I-I couldn't breathe, I c-couldn't think, at least not about anything but the pain. I just...I just wanted to go home. I prayed to go home…" tears of his own uncontrollably formed in his green eyes but he quickly wiped them away.

"Oh, Harry" Molly sighed as salted water began trickling down her cheeks and she rushed towards the Gryffindor Prince. Encasing him in a warm motherly hug while everyone in the Library silently wept for the Boy-Who-Live many times over. Even Thorfinn looked morose as he understood the most what the Chosen One had gone through, Molly hugged Harry as tightly as she could as the raven-haired wizard began to cry in her arms.

No one spoke over the next few minutes as Harry sobbed with no care as to who was around to witness his break down, but it was greatly implied that they had all felt his heartache. However, the person who seemed to feel it the most, was Theo. He knew it was his fault the four were sent back in time and because of it, one of his classmates had undergone the most brutal form of death…without actually dying. He couldn't imagine the pain Harry had to endure, but it made him sick to his stomach just thinking about it.

Unable to withstand the torment of hearing the Gryffindor cry into the mother Weasleys' arms, Theo ran out of the room with liquid streaming down his face. Narcissa and Pansy were both about to go after him when to their surprise, Arthur and Robert did instead. It seemed that even though they were all supposed to dislike each other in some form or other, the twisted current events had brought them together and a bond was inevitably formed. A bond that none of them knew…would last forever.

Lowering her head as she bit her bottom lip, Narcissa softly stated that she would check on dinner preparations, aware that an elf suddenly popping in didn't seem right, and wistfully walked out of the room. Elizabeth went to check on her as she knew the former Slytherin Queen was not okay, while Neville and Luna approached the map to study it with Thorfinn; all unknowing how to proceed while Harry continued to sob…and rightly so.

Madam Pomfrey whispered to Professor McGonagall that she was needed back at the school, but to let her know if her presence was required again, to floo call her immediately, all the while Bethany somberly took a seat in one of the empty chairs and played with her fingertips. Ron too had no idea what to do as he had never seen his best friend crumble to pieces… at least not since Sirius Black had passed and moved to stand next to the Headmistress while wrapping his arms around himself in sorrow.

Although to everyone's amazement, Pansy walked around to Harry's side of the desk and began rubbing his back with her hand while Molly rocked the boy in her embrace. The Slytherin Princess had no idea if she was doing it because Harry had helped her earlier, or if it was because she had actually cared about his feelings. Either way, she felt pity for the boy. Though that was just it…he was just a boy. And when she really thought about it, even though the Wizarding World considered them all adults…they were still so young. Too young to have sustained half of what they had gone through in their lifetime…and continued to still go through to this day.

XX

An hour had come and gone as the group of students and adults took a break to sit down for dinner in the Dining Hall. It was by far the most awkwardly silent meal any of them had ever had. No one spoke as they ate in a calm quiet and all that could be heard was the clinking of silverware against the ceramic pates with a few grunts here and there.

However, after supper had ended, Robert kissed his wife goodbye as he had to head back to the dentist office, they co-owned, in the morning. He wished he could stay longer, but both he and Elizabeth had rescheduled so many of their patients already that they couldn't risk postponing any more if they wanted to keep their practice up and running. Bethany and Arthur too had to return to work the following day as Professor McGonagall made her leave back to Hogwarts; all promising to return when they could.

Robert waited for Arthur in the fireplace as the redhead said his goodbyes and was nervous because he had never traveled via floo powder before. A few years ago, Hermione had told him about the magical way of moving about the country, but it still left him flabbergasted that he would ever need to use the methods of transportation. However, there was absolutely no way he would apparate again and without a car, he couldn't return home. Not that he knew where the heck he was anyway.

The elder Weasley was leaving to return to the Burrow and had offered to take Robert to his house since the muggle had no way of getting back; even promising to pick him up if he needed. Though, it took a lot of arguing on Molly's behalf to convince her husband that he didn't need to spend the night at the Granger's household simply because he wanted to study their way of life. But Robert had told Arthur he would allow the wizard to accompany him to work another day, once he had time to catch up on everything, causing immense joy to radiate from the redhead.

However, as the two men prepared to leave, Harry sat in the bedroom he was sharing with Ron, propped up by the many pillows resting against the headboard of the bed with his legs curled underneath him. As much as he wanted to say goodbye to the only two father figures left in his life, he couldn't face everyone just yet; not after his break down. He was too embarrassed that he couldn't hold his emotions back until he was at least alone, but he had to admit…if felt good to let it all out.

But as a light knock echoed at the large arched door, Harry sighed as he lowered his head, pulled his knees to his chest, and hugged his legs tightly. It didn't matter who was asking to come in, he didn't want to speak to anyone let alone see anybody. Most knew to leave him to his thoughts, especially after witnessing how broken he was when he had lost Sirius only a few short years ago, so he figured the person requesting entry was not a Weasley.

"Please go away…" he whispered, unfortunately not loud enough for anyone to hear.

The door slowly creaked open but Harry refused to look up, hoping his lack of speaking would deter the person, or people, from bothering him any further. However, he wasn't so lucky.

"Potter?" Pansy spoke gently as she took a small step into the bedroom, forcing Harry to quickly raise his eyes in surprise to the raven-haired girl entering the chamber. "I-I just wanted to see if you're alright…"

"I'm fine…" he claimed rather harshly before lowering his head back down to his knees.

"You don't seem fine" she stated adamantly while closing the door behind her. She was used to being pushed away by her male friends, although something about seeing Harry so upset helped her forget the animosity she was supposed to feel towards him.

"Well I am, so you can leave."

However, Pansy ignored his request and moved to sit on the edge of the plush mattress. Adjusting the robe wrapped around her as she was heading off to bed early to start reading more on muggle history on her own time, she slid back and got comfortable while resting two books on her lap.

"Lovegood and Longbottom said they figured out the last era you were in" she claimed while nervously toying with her pale pink nightgown. "Apparently, my mentioning of Mount Vesuvius earlier helped them pinpoint that you were in fact in Pompeii, Italy…79 A.D."

"So…?"

"So…I-I just thought I would let you know" she stated gingerly.

"Okay…" he shrugged, hoping she would now go away and leave him to wallow in his misery.

"Theo is really upset" she declared not really knowing what else to say.

"As he should be" Harry scoffed while raising his head and stretching out a single leg. "If he hadn't made that stupid bet then our friends wouldn't be lost in time and I wouldn't have had to Spirit Walk through death to find them!"

"Do you honestly believe that if he knew all of this would happen, he would have made the bet? I mean seriously Potter, cut the guy some slack. He made a mistake and now he's paying for it."

"He's paying for it?" the Golden boy snapped with narrowed brows, causing Pansy to shudder slightly. "Our friends are paying for it! I paid for it!"

"And if it wasn't for Mr. Weasley and Mr. Granger talking him down, Theo very well may have done something stupid tonight!" she yelled with a scowl. "He is my friend! My housemate and I almost lost more than…than…"

Harry looked up at the Slytherin who had tears brewing in her dark brown irises and softened his shoulders while exhaling heavily.

"I'm sorry, Parkinson" he stated softly while lowering his head. "It's-it's just been a long day." Though she never said a word as she went back to fiddling with her fingertips again. "Is that why you came in here? To tell me about Pompeii and-and Nott?"

"No…I-I came to see how you were doing…and to thank you."

"Thank me?" he asked completely baffled. "For what?"

"For helping me" she affirmed as she met his eyes. "Draco a-and Blaise would have, but-"

"Why do you care for him so much?" he inquired before he even had a chance to think about what he was asking.

"Um, I-I-"

"Draco…why do you like Draco? He obviously treats you like dirt when you don't deserve it. Yeah, I mean you did horrible things too but nothing to extent that he had. Nothing that warrants being made fun of by the people who only seem to pretend to be your friend."

"They are my friends" she answered softly before really thinking over what Harry was trying to say to her. "You don't always see it, but they are kind to me when I need it most."

"Nott didn't seem too kind to you today."

"No, but he was upset. All friends fight, you know. But Theo has sheltered me in his home numerous times when I can't bear to hear my parents fight when I return from Hogwarts. Blaise has also dauntlessly comforted me, especially when everyone at school sent me horrid howlers at the beginning of term; all because I was scared when I tried to turn you over during the war. Those people never even bothered to hear my side…only listened to what they wanted to believe…And Draco; Draco has stood up for me plenty of times. He even went as far as to make a potion when someone sent charmed shears that…that cut off my hair while I was asleep in my dorm. He helped me regrow it over Christmas break so I wouldn't be ashamed to walk the halls. Just because we don't act like you, Granger, and Weasley all the time, doesn't mean we don't care for each other."

"So, you like him because he's only nice to you behind closed doors? And you still consider them friends when they don't show you very much loyalty?"

"There's so much more to it than that. Our relationships are…complicated."

"Pansy…" Harry spoke gently while leaning forward. "You don't deserve someone who is only your friend in secret. And you definitely don't deserve to have someone laugh at you in public because of a flaw, that many people have. Stop chasing after guys who obviously can't give you what you need and start loving yourself…first."

"I do love myself!" she proclaimed while clenching her hands into fists.

"No, you don't. You may love your beauty, yes, but you don't love what's on the inside. Because if you did, you wouldn't be in my room right now trying to find a friend to talk to."

"I'm not-"

"You are" he cut in softly with a small shrug, realizing he himself could use someone other than Ron to talk with, "and that's perfectly fine. We can be friends…because at least I know your worth. And you can count on me to never kick you when you're down, especially in public; plus I don't mind being nice to you when others are around either. I'm also a good listener according to Hermione" he chuckled slightly. "Anyway…I am offering to be your…person, I guess is what I'm trying to say."

"Why would you want to be my friend after everything I put you through?"

"You were scared, Pansy. We all make mistakes when we're afraid. And I know that you can be more than just a follower in Malfoy's gang. You're smart, even though you pretend you're not. Just think about it, okay? If you wake up tomorrow and decide that today was just an emotional roller-coaster and don't want to take my offer, then we can go our separate ways.

"But if not…you know where to find me." Nodding her head as she strongly considered what the Gryffindor was saying, Pansy stared unseeingly for a while before accepting Harry's proposal of friendship, moved to sit beside him, and handed him one of the books she had brought with her. Harry gently took the small tome from her delicate pale fingers and opened it with a small smile playing at his lips. "By the way, Pansy…thank you…for helping me today too" he smirked as he lightly nudged her arm with his elbow, causing the Slytherin Princess to smile before looking down at the book in her hands. The first genuine smile she had had…in a long time.

Autumn of 1717

Appearing almost out of thin air, the group of four sat in the middle of a cramped room with their arms still shielding their faces. It took a few seconds before they realized they had even jumped and slowly began to look around the wooden chamber that oddly felt like it was moving. Large barrels lined every wall around them, along with wooden crates full of mysterious items making the room feel small and congested. Standing up, Draco dusted himself off before helping Hermione stand as Blaise examined the timber containers and Ginny stared down at the stone still in her hand.

"So…does anyone want to explain to me what just happened?" Blaise questioned as he looked away from a barrel full to the brim with gun powder.

"Well, if it wasn't already obvious, I think we just witnessed the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs" Hermione began to explain as she brushed the dirt from her dress. They never really had a chance to alter their clothing from Jamestown and the brunette prayed they received the opportunity now. The outfit she wore was still hard to breathe in and it was beginning to hurt her back as well. "Are we moving?"

"I meant how the hell we appeared here, instantly, and with no warning?" he inquired while scratching his head in confusion.

"I feel like we're moving…"

"We didn't even see the green light!" the Italian claimed before falling backwards as the room tilted to the side. "What the hell?" he yelled while trying to stand once again.

"Well I guess that answers my question on if we are moving…" Hermione stated in annoyance as she removed herself from Draco, who had caught her before she fell face first into the floorboards. "I assume we're on a ship."

"Well isn't that bloody wonderful!" the dark-haired wizard complained. "If witnessing a volcano exploding, the plague taking over Europe, and the extinction of the dinosaurs, wasn't enough, now we are stuck in the middle of the ocean, on a foreign ship, Merlin knows where! Could things possibly get any worse?"

However, before anyone could answer, the sound of footsteps echoed from above causing the group to look up in a panic. Indistinct chatter could be heard moving closer to the angled ladder resting behind a few stacked barrels and before anyone could think about what was being said, Hermione quickly disillusioned her team just as two shadows loomed over the top of the steps.

Staying as silent as possible, they watched as two men descended the ladder speaking in a mere whisper, before picking up a barrel and ascending the wooden beams. Although, the duo stopped when Ginny accidentallly backed into a crate, causing a loud bang to echo around the chamber. The men set the barrel down and glanced at each other in confusion before they began to speak in a strange accent.

"Whaht wahs zat?" the man on the left questioned in a shaky voice.

"Eet wahs prahbahbly just ze wahves crahsheeng ahgainst ze sheep," his friend replied with a sigh, "you know how sings mahve ahround on ziss sheep, mahte."

"No eet wahs a ghahst, I tell you!"

"Bon Dieu, Adrien! Ze sheep ees naht haunted!"

"La vengeance de la Reine Anne! C'est certainement cela! Je vous jure que c'est! Barbe noire a tué beaucoup d'hommes ici, et leur présence persiste toujours!"

"You ahre lahseeng your mind, my friend. Cahme on now, ze Cahptain will naht be pleased eef we do naht breeng heem hees ahle ahnd soon."

"Ce bâtard peut lui enfoncer sa bière dans le cul pour autant que je m'en soucie" the first man mumbled under his breath, making his friend shake his head and chuckle.

"Je suis sûr que nous aimerions tous entendre cette histoire."

As the two shadows moved away from the ladder, the group began to remove the spell holding them invisible before snapping their eyes to Ginny who looked utterly ashamed.

"What? It was an accident! Sorry!" she whispered before rolling her eyes. However, her gaze landed on Draco who appeared to be thinking hard about something. "Uh, Blondie? You alright?"

"Huh?" he questioned as he quickly looked up to the redhead while lowering his hand away from his chin.

"Wait…" Hermione interrupted as she threw a silencing charm at the entrance to the cargo hold. "This is a French ship-Draco, you can speak French!"

The Slytherin's eyes snapped to the bookworm as he raised a brow in confusion and Ginny suddenly gasped in understanding.

"That's right! You said you could speak it back in Rome!"

"Uh…Ehem, you uh, you all heard me say that?" he inquired, completely baffled that anyone had paid attention to him in the brothel.

"Of course, we heard you say it, mate" Blaise added. "You think none of us were paying attention to you?"

"I-I don't know" the blonde stammered. "I-I didn't think anyone really cared about what I had to say."

"Are you kidding me?" Hermione stated warmly while taking a step closer to him, throwing the Prince off even more. "We care, Draco" she shrugged with addictive sweet smile. "Can you tell us the parts we couldn't understand?" she asked delicately.

Draco had to take a few moments to gather his thoughts as he was still in shock that not only did his friends hear him and remember what he had said, but that Hermione had knowingly this time, called him by his given name…twice.

"Um…yeah. They-uh-they said something about a revenge of Queen Anne and um, a bloke with a black beard…I think, and how he could shove the ale up his arse…"

"Oh…shite…" Hermione whispered with a slow exhale. "We're in 17…17? I believe that's when Blackbeard, a very uh, rambunctious pirate, who once served in the Royal Navy, captured this ship that was once names La Concorde before renaming it Queen Anne's Revenge-We're on a pirate ship!"

"A pirate ship…" Blaise began to chuckle in shock. "That's where we landed" he chortled while pinching his lips together. "In a cargo hold, in the middle of the ocean, on a ship…swarming with bloody pirates!" he began laughing hard. "Oh Merlin, I asked if this could get any worse…sure enough I was fucking right, you guys!"

"I think…I think you broke him, Mione" Ginny claimed with furrowed brows as the trio watched the dark-skinned wizard laugh his arse off. Though his hilarity ended up being extremely contagious, and the group soon found themselves chuckling as well.

"We are so screwed!" Blaise declared while throwing a hand up as he continued to belt out a loud laugh.

"What's even more funny!" Ginny added through her giggles. "W-we almost died! Twice!" she howled causing everyone to snort as their bellies began to hurt from laughing so hard.

"And I turned you both into sex slaves!" Draco roared as he fell to the ground in a fit.

"And Draco and I kissed!" Hermione admitted, causing everyone to suddenly go quiet and stare at her before Ginny spluttered as they all erupted into laughter once again. "Twice!"

"Wait, wait, wait!" Blaise cut in with an outstretched hand. "So, did me and Red!"

More howls of laughter erupted from the four who couldn't contain their strange behavior.

"We saw actual dinosaurs!" Ginny cackled.

But as the group continued to chortle and snicker while laughing about the encounters, they all had experienced, Hermione's giggles slowed as she glanced to her red-headed friends' hand.

"What's-What's in your hand Ginny?"

Both Draco and Blaise stood from the floor as they wiped the tears staining their face as the redhead lifted her right fist.

"Oh, this? I found it before that asteroid hit the Earth" she shrugged. "It seemed out of place, so I picked it up."

"Salazar!" Draco expressed while running his fingers through his disheveled hair. "Is that-is that what I think it is?"

"Merlin's beard, Ginny!" the brunette witch exclaimed. "You found the missing stone! How the hell did you find the stone?"

"Wait…are you serious, I-I found it? I just stepped on it before I saw you guys pointing your wands at the raptor."

"Holy shite!" Blaise proclaimed. "That's why we were thrown back there!" he stated while glancing up at Hermione. "You said it was missing back when you outran the T-Rex. That forest must have been the same one as before but further forward in time!"

"I could kiss you right now!" Hermione claimed with a broad smile when she realized Blaise was right.

"Please don't" both Ginny and Draco said at the same time while there faces went stern.

"I-It was just an expression…" she replied with a raised brow before shaking away the confusion and reaching into her beaded bag. Pulling out the scarab, she paused as she looked down where the crack should have been…and noticed it was no longer there. "Ginny, quick give me the stone!" she demanded with her hand stretched out towards her friend while her eyes never wavered from the amulet.

Ginny hastily passed the green gem over and the group watched as the Gryffindor Princess placed the stone in the arms of the golden beetle. As soon as gem touched the metal a bright light flashed in their faces and lit up the entire room, causing everyone to shield their eyes momentarily. But as soon as the illumination subsided, they all looked around in utter bewilderment.

"I thought fixing the thing would send us home!" Draco exclaimed in frustration as he eyed the same crates and barrels in the cargo hold. "Why are we still here?"

"Uh, Draco…" Blaise announced, forcing the blonde to look at his friend who was pointing at Hermione.

Taking a closer look at the relic in her hands, he noticed the wings of the scarab were now open and a small piece of folded parchment laid neatly in its alcove. The brunette slowly reached inside and pulled out the centuries old paper as Ginny gently took the necklace from her.

"What is it?" the redhead questioned in curiosity.

"I-I think it's the parchment we couldn't get out back in China…" the Golden Girl replied as she began to unfold the edges.

"What's on it?" Draco inquired nervously.

"It…It looks like a poem or-or a riddle, maybe?"

"Great!" Blaise stated while throwing his hands in the air. "How the bloody hell are we supposed to get home with a poem?"

"Read it aloud, Mione" Ginny suggested; ignoring the dark-haired wizard and his aggravation. She had a strong feeling the poem was important and a strange sense that their journey was far from over.

Inhaling a deep breath, Hermione looked at her three friends waiting anxiously, before glancing back down to the open parchment in her hands and began reading the neat cursive.

"The past is not a bitter escape…"she quickly looked up to her peers who seemed as equally confused as her before continuing steadily.

~

"The past is not a bitter escape

For those deemed worthy, shall be reshaped.

Though don't be fooled by the hate you see,

To be the change is the key.

Heed these words or be left behind,

Stand in the frame that has four sides.

A clue will be given on the rear,

A tiny detail for all to hear.

Try your best to get the timing right,

Or risk being dragged into the night.

But if you alter a single thing,

A butterfly will flap a wing.

So, listen to the whispers of the past

To lead you on your rightful path.

Look for the one that's **innocent** yet bold

And the one of **knowledge**

Who does what they're told,

The one of **bravery** which will not stay down,

Before the **kindness** who doesn't mess around.

The **wisdom** you seek is in the close,

To show you the life that you once chose…"

~

Flipping the parchment over, Hermione glanced at the plain backing with a raised brow before flipping the paper over again.

"I don't understand" Ginny began in puzzlement. "Is it a riddle or a warning?"

"I think it's both" Draco answered as he gently took the parchment from Hermione to reread it.

"Well that's a load of rubbish!" Blaise protested, causing the trio to look to him bemused. "That thing never mentioned a Slytherin trait!"

"What?" they all said at once.

"It mentioned five traits but none of them were Slytherin. Well maybe knowledge, but that's still more Ravenclaw than anything."

"Blaise, what are you talking about?" Hermione inquired.

"The five peop-le…?"

"What five people?" Ginny asked completely perplexed.

"The one that's innocent yet bold…" Draco replied as he read one of the lines again "and the one of knowledge, who does what their told…Blaise's right…this is about people. The traits are even in bold."

"So, we are going to meet five people?" Ginny questioned with a shake of her head. "Where? When?"

"Oh, no…" the brunette sighed as she thought back to what Ginny had read on the label that was placed in front of the artifacts' display. "The advisor…The one who placed a spell on the amulet to protect his remaining family, it's his ancestry! We have to meet his ancestors, which means we either meet them all in one period or we still have five places left to go through. And unfortunately, I think it's the latter because the way that it's written, it seems like it's one per era."

"Come on! Seriously?" Ginny complained as she threw her hands in the air before taking a seat on a closed crate. "We're starving, we're on a bloody pirate ship, and now we have to go through five more time periods before we get to go home? Godric Gryffindor, this is insane! This is absolutely mental, Mione!"

"At least we'll have a warning now" Draco claimed as he continued to reread the riddle. But when everyone looked to him perplexed, he released a deep sigh before explaining. "It says it right here. 'Heed these words or be left behind, stand in the frame that has four sides. A clue will be given on the rear, a tiny detail for all to hear…' This parchment will give a clue when it's about to jump us and I'm assuming instead of just sucking us into a vortex, that we have to stand in a square that will possibly appear. If we don't, then we'll be left behind. And the butterfly part is obvious, because it's what Hermione has been saying since we started this mess. But the part where it says to be the change, is a little confusing. Are we supposed to change something…but not change something?"

"I-I guess we'll have to find out" Hermione stated as she stared at Draco, clearly impressed. "For now, let's just see if we can find something to eat before thinking about where we're about to be thrown to."

XX

Sitting propped up against a single barrel, after finishing a meal containing of oats and bread, as Ginny, Blaise, and Hermione discussed, Merlin knows what, not too far away, Draco stared at his left forearms sullenly. He had wished he could permanently hide the mark that tainted his pale flesh; but he had tried everything from spells to potions and nothing worked. His blemish covering charms only lasted a few hours and the Dark Mark always found a way to show through and remind him of the worst mistake he had ever made in his life. But as he stared at the defiling mark, and wandered aimlessly through his own mind, Hermione had walked over and sat down beside him.

"Hey…" she smiled tenderly before looking to Draco's arm that was propped up on his knee.

"Hi…" he replied while jerking his arm to his side, so it was out of view of the bookworm.

"I see you changed clothes as well" she stated warmly while glancing over the pajamas he once wore in Knockturn Alley. It was apparent she had also seen the evil branding but didn't comment on it, much to the blonde's relief…or so he thought.

"Yeah…more comfortable."

"I'm not afraid of it, you know…" she said softly while pointing to the arm he tried to keep hidden from her. "Not anymore." Draco slowly lifted his left arm and glanced at the Dark Mark with somber eyes. "You can glamour it, if it bothers you that much…"

"I already do" he answered gingerly, "but the charms don't last for more than a couple of hours."

"I can teach you how to make it last longer, if you like? I uh, I have become quite good at it…"

Looking down at her left forearm, Draco eyed the clear skin curiously as he recalled his Aunt carving into the Gryffindor's flesh with her twisted dagger; a memory he had begged his mind to forget. Though he was fully aware that the reason Bellatrix loved that knife so much, was because the scars it left behind, never went away and he remembered Hermione was cut on her neck as well. However, thinking back on all the times he had seen the bookworm's bare skin, he strongly wondered if he had ever seen the word he grew to hate so much.

Noticing, the Slytherin staring, Hermione brought her arm close to her chest and sighed heavily.

"I'm sorry…" He spoke so low she almost didn't hear him, but through his tone, she knew he was apologizing for more than just gaping at her scar.

"It's okay, Draco" she declared softly before pulling out her wand to show him how to make his glamour's last longer than a day. Hoping the change would distract them both from the past they shared. "Why do you separate yourself from the rest of the group?" she inquired while tucking her feet underneath her legs after they had finished charming his Dark Mark. "We don't bite" she chuckled softly.

"I like solitude every so often…" he lied while looking down with a shrug. Truth was he desperately wanted to join them, but he always felt out of place…like he didn't really belong in the group thanks to his former Death Eater status.

"I wish you would join us…" she stated, making Draco turn his soft gaze to her.

"You…or everyone?"

"Me…If I meant everyone, I would have said 'we' instead. Though I know Blaise and Ginny would like you to join us as well. We're all friends…at least, I hope we're friends."

"I meant what I said back in Jamestown, Hermione. I thought I made it clear that I wanted to be your friend."

"Am I just a convenience to you?" she hastily questioned before her mind had a chance to tell her mouth 'no'. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean it to come out the way it sounded" she explained when Draco's eyes went wide in bewilderment. "I just…I want to know that we can still, I don't know, grab a Butterbeer or-or go to dinner or something…once we're home."

"I can't tell if you're asking me to hang out or if you're asking me on a date…" he claimed with narrow brows.

"Not a date!" she quickly proclaimed with crimson cheeks. "I-I-"

"I was joking" he scoffed lightly, but internally cursed as he wished she did mean it as a date. "But to answer your many questions, no you're not just a 'convenience' to me, yes we can grab a Butterbeer or go to dinner sometime, and before you ask…yes, I would have been friends with you even if we weren't trapped in the past. Your mates just…make it hard. Potter's alright, but Weasley…He won't let you near me let alone talk to me."

"Really? You would talk to me at Hogwarts?"

"Why would you think I wouldn't?" he raised a brow as she looked down at her hands. "We might have had a rough start in the beginning, but as you have seen, I've changed…and so have you. Neither of us are the same people we once were before the war, Hermione."

The Gryffindor began to play with her fingers as Draco went back to resting his right arm on his propped knee. They sat in silence for a few seconds as they watched Ginny curl up and rest her head on Blaise's lap as they spoke about anything and everything, making a pang of jealously grow in the blonde Princes' heart. He wanted that with someone too, namely Hermione, but as far as he could tell, she only ever wanted to 'hang out' with him, and it hurt more than words could say.

"I-I like when you use my first name…" Hermione spoke softly while rubbing the back of her neck with her hand.

"Well it is your name, isn't it?"

"That's…" she paused as she thought about her next words carefully. She didn't want to tell him that she liked when he used her given name, not because they were friends and it showed their friendship developing, but because every time he said it, a horde of butterflies invaded her stomach and she felt like she couldn't breathe…in the best way possible. However, at the same time, she wanted him to know how much she was beginning to like him, but once again logic…interfered. "Yeah, it is…"

"I like when you call me Draco, if it makes you feel any better?" he claimed when he saw a frown creep across her petal soft lips.

Draco was a master of Occlumency, but he was also an extremely proficient Legilimens who wanted so desperately to break the walls around her thoughts and see what she was really thinking about when she made her statement. But he knew it was an invasion of privacy, even though he was good enough that she would never feel his presence if he entered. He would just have to find another way to understand the mind of Hermione Granger…which was easier said than done.

The brunette witch glanced to the Slytherin Prince as her frown turned into a small smile and she slowly began resting her head upon his right shoulder. Before either of them knew it, Hermione was fast asleep with her head nestled complacently in the Princes' lap as Draco was reading over the riddle for the twelfth time while unconsciously playing with a stand of hair that had escaped her messy bun. Though he was elated that she was comfortable enough to use him as a pillow, he didn't think twice about the action as he figured it was just something she did; even with Harry and Ron.

"Psst, Draco…" Blaise whispered from across the small room, causing Draco to reluctantly lift his eyes to the dark-haired wizard. "Did you tell her yet?"

"What?" he whispered back, careful not to wake either girl resting. "Tell her what?"

"How much you like her…" Blaise smirked, knowing full well how hard his best mate was falling for the Gryffindor Princess, even if Draco himself hadn't realized it yet.

"Piss off! I'm not getting into that with you!" the blonde sneered as he went back to studying.

"Draco" Blaise whispered again after a few minutes of silence.

"What?" he replied in annoyance.

"What…what if wherever we're going next…is worse than what we've already been through?" the Italian inquired with worry embedding voice. "What if everything we experienced already…was minuscule compared to what's to come?"

"I don't know, mate" Draco answered as he softened his shoulders. "But I promise we'll get through it…together."

XX

Three hours later, after everyone had received a diminutive amount of sleep, Hermione awoke to a faint glow stirring her from her slumber. Upon opening her eyes, she noticed she was sleeping on Draco's lap, who was drooling as he slept sitting up, making her chuckle slightly as she slowly removed herself from under his arm. Looking around as to what had caused the light that woke her, she spotted Blaise and Ginny cuddling close together under a wooden beam and she faintly smiled before looking down at Draco's left hand to see the parchment flipped over.

However, something was written on the back that wasn't there before.

Slowly removing the paper from the sleeping Slytherin, Hermione's eyes widened in shock and she abruptly stood in a panic.

"IT'S THE CLUE!" she yelled, causing everyone to suddenly jerk awake as Blaise hit his head on the beam above him, and Draco fell over before quickly righting himself.

"WHAT? WHAT HAPPENED?" Ginny yelled with sleep still in her eyes and her wand pointed out in front of her.

"We have the clue as to where we're going!" Hermione explained while waving the parchment in the air.

"What?" Draco asked as he quickly stood and looked down at the glowing cursive lettering while Blaise helped Ginny to her feet.

"Well someone say something!" Ginny demanded with a roll of her eyes as she gazed at the duo looking absolutely stunned.

"Sorry it uh…it…" the brunette began while shaking her head in disbelief. "Fuck…" she whispered when the first main era of five…was clear as day.

Raising a brow in confusion, both the Italian and redhead quickly walked over to the pair still in shock and glanced down at the words written upon the parchment. However, loud gasps escaped their lips when they read what was written.

_'Witches come…and witches go…but where they hang…everyone knows.'_

"I-it can't be right? T-this is a joke o-or some mistake!" Ginny proclaimed in fear as everyone's heart sank in terror.

"I-I don't think the amulet makes mistakes, Red" Draco replied as his eyes stared hard at a large square that appeared out of nowhere in front of them, illuminated by an emerald green glow on all four sides. "And I don't think we have much of a choice…We have to go o-or we'll be stuck here."

Hermione quickly shook the shock from her features and tucked the parchment into her bag before taking the hand of an unsuspecting Draco and exhaling a deep breath.

"What is that?" Ginny questioned as she gazed at a large 'V' hovering just above the glowing square directly in its center.

"I have no idea…" Hermione answered as she looked to where her friend was pointing. However, when the 'V' suddenly flipped like a digital clock to 'IV', the brunette instantly understood. "Wait a second. It's…it's a clock or a timer, I mean. Those are Roman numerals. I think it's a timer that tells us how long the portal or whatever this thing is, will be open for."

"So, we have four minutes now to step into this thing and hope it's not just a death trap?" Blaise inquired as Ginny took his hand.

"It's just a theory that I can't really prove until this happens again, but…yeah. I think we only have four minutes, well almost three now, to step in."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Draco ticked while unconsciously grazing his thumb across the side of Hermione's hand. "I don't know about all of you, but I would really rather not be trapped on a pirate ship in 1717 for the rest of my life."

Nodding in an unfortunate agreeance, the group slowly and reluctantly, strode forward and into the parallelogram, completely unaware of the dangers…that lie ahead. Although, as soon as they stepped over one of the green lines, the numbers instantly stopped counting down as an intense white light encompassed the foursome, blinding them as they were yet again whisked away into another era.


	11. Nightfall

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ATTENTION-IMPORTANT: I apologize for this abrupt A/N, but I have received a review on another site stating that I have a current political reference in this story. I want it known that there is not, nor will there ever be, anything related to politics in any of my stories unless the era calls for it. In that case, the political references will be based off of real-life facts and not opinions that have occurred during that time period. For instance, everything read in China about the Emperor is true and I can site multiple sources if need be. I have not compared him to anyone, nor will I compare anyone in later chapters to anyone. I have done extensive research to conclude how a real-life person acted/was before placing them into this fic. Now other references from movies, songs, TV shows, etc., will be placed sporadically for fun. Example: “Clever Girl” from Jurassic Park was placed in the last chapter. You will NEVER see anything related to politics that did not happen, based off of opinions, or has not occurred yet in the timeline the story is written. Thank you.

_“When all is done, there is nothing to say, and if you're done with embarrassing me, on your own you can go ahead tell them, tell them all I know now…”_ \- Impossible- James Arthur

Chapter 11- Nightfall

Friday, May 7th, 1999

Awaking in the middle of the night with an abrupt jerk that almost made him fall from the chair he fell asleep in, Ron glanced around the Library in confusion. Looking up at the large silver serpent clock hanging above the mantle of the fireplace, he noted the time to be just after three in the morning, and he sighed as he realized he had never made it to bed. After everyone else had cleared away and set off to rest for the night, Ron had stayed in the library a little while longer to see if maybe he could find any information or possibly even a picture of the four lost in time; unfortunately, he had had no such luck.

However, he wasn’t giving up just yet. Though he may not be thrilled about two Slytherins trapped in the past with his sister and his ex-girlfriend, he was honestly happier it was Draco and Blaise and not Theo and Pansy. At least the blonde git and his Italian best friend were smart enough to not get the four of them killed. He couldn’t really say the same if it was Theo, who would try to bet on everything, or Pansy who would be too conceited to care about her own safety, let alone Ginny’s or Hermione’s.

Packing away the books that lay in front of him, the redhead grumbled slightly as he searched for his wand and cast Lumos so he could see. Exiting through the massive doors, Ron slowly walked down the hall toward the bedroom he and Harry were sharing with sleep trying its best to overcome him. However, he was half thinking of popping down to the kitchens for a late-night snack but thought better of it. He didn’t really want to aimlessly wander Malfoy Manor any more than he had to.

Reaching for the handle to the overly large doors he still thought were not necessary for a bedroom, he quickly extinguished the light from his wand so he wouldn’t wake Harry, who Merlin knew needed his rest after the harrowing day he’d had. Softly opening the entryway while releasing a large yawn, but holding back the loud noise he usually admitted, Ron crawled into bed to the right of the raven-haired boy, before realizing his friend was once again sleeping in the middle.

Rolling his eyes as he set his wand on the nightstand, he clambered under the covers the Chosen One was laying on top of, fluffed his pillow, and laid his head drowsily against the Egyptian Cotton he swore to take with him once they left. But the smell of jasmine began to fill his nostrils and he wondered if Madam Pomfrey had used the flower in some way when healing Harry. Shrugging away the idea, Ron snuggled further into the soft bed as he allowed sleep to overtake him.

But as soon as sleep almost found him, Harry turned over and laid a smooth supple hand gently on the redheads’ cheek that had a strong scent of lotion mixed with the strong jasmine aroma and he suddenly knew the person lying beside him…wasn’t Harry. Instantly, Ron’s eyes burst open at the fear that he was in the wrong room when it dawned on him that he wasn’t, and that someone else, was sleeping in the King size bed.

Slowly and steadily, the Gryffindor reached behind him for his wand, all while praying the person next him was Luna, who was simply comforting their friend in his time of need. Grabbing the Willow wood from off the end table, he quickly cast Lumos again and stared in absolute shock at the woman laying mere inches from his face.

Pansy scrunched her face as a bright light awoke her, before slowly opening her eyes to see Ron Weasley staring wide eyed at her, causing her whole body to go ridged in a panic. They both froze at the sudden realization of what was happening before two loud piercing screams filled the room and they flung themselves backwards, away from each other. Ron in his attempt to scramble away from the Slytherin, fell off the bed as Pansy accidentally pushed into Harry, who awoke with a start at the sound of screaming, almost shoving him off the mattress in the process. However, the raven-haired Gryffindor quickly caught himself before realizing Pansy was halfway on top of him.

“WHAT THE BLOODY HELL!” Harry screamed as he readjusted his glasses tilted on his face and reached for his wand to light up the room before pointing it in the direction the Slytherin Princess was trying to crawl away from; in fear that someone had tried to attack her. He then internally questioned why Pansy was even in his bed when he remembered that she had fallen asleep while reading and he had allowed her to stay the night, thinking nothing of it. Apparently, he had forgotten Ron shared a room with him. “Ron!” he called out as he gently pushed passed the startled witch and peered over the edge of the bed to find his best friend laying on his back with a jutted jaw as he stared up at the high ceiling. “Are you alright?”

Ron pressed his tongue against the base of his mouth as obvious signs of irritation washed over him.

“Is…” he clicked. “Is Parkinson…in our bed?” he asked before pinching his lips together, clearly trying to hold back the anger they all knew he wanted to release.

“Y-Yes…” Harry answered with a raised brow at the strange behavior he was witnessing.

“Okay…” the redhead nodded while pressing his tongue against the inside of his cheek. “Mind uh, mind telling me why?” he requested a little too calmly.

Though before Harry could answer, Elizabeth, Molly, Narcissa, and Thorfinn burst into the room with Luna, Neville, and Theo following swiftly behind. All except Elizabeth, had their wands trained as they searched around the room for an enemy before seeing Harry on his hands and knees at the edge of the bed, Ron on the floor, and Pansy sitting opposite the boys with her hands raised.

“What in Merlin’s name is going on in here?” Molly yelled as she lowered her weapon and placed her hands on her hips.

“Nothing!” the three by the bed said at the same time.

“Well something is going on!” Elizabeth stated while taking a step forward. “We heard screaming!”

Thorfinn continued to scan the room as his defenses stayed up due to his experience as a Death Eater, as Theo rushed to Pansy to make sure she was okay, and the three mothers scowled at Ron and Harry.

“Nothing is going on” the raven-haired wizard spoke quickly. “Pansy and I were up late talking and reading last night, and we fell asleep. I forgot to tell Ron that she was in here and well, I guess he figured it out for himself.”

“Is that true?” Narcissa questioned as she looked to Pansy being comforted by Theo. “Are you hurt?

“No” Pansy claimed while trying to shake away the shock of seeing Ron when she awoke. “I mean yes it’s true, and no I’m not hurt. We just…scared each other is all.”

“And what precisely are you doing up at almost three thirty in the morning, Ronald?” Molly challenged sternly. “You should have been in bed hours ago!”

“I’m not a child, mother!” Ron snapped as he removed himself from the floor and stood up. “And if it matters that much, I fell asleep in the Library while trying to see if I could find a picture or something about the four in a history book. I woke up, climbed into bed, and found Parkinson laying right next to me!”

“Okay, alright” Elizabeth sighed as she rubbed her temples in frustration, while simultaneously cutting in before Molly had a chance to yell at her son for his attitude. “It’s late. Everyone back to your rooms. Pansy if you would please, return to your room with Luna and Ronald, apologize for snapping at your mother so that we can all go to bed. It’s been a long day and quite frankly I think we all need a good rest. We can discuss everything in the morning.”

“Sorry mum” Ron pouted as Harry moved over and the redhead climbed into bed.

“It’s quite alright, dear” Molly replied before escorting Pansy out of the room.

As everyone said their good-nights and walked back to their sleeping chambers, Harry extinguished the lights and rolled to face the end table while feeling a small emptiness in the pit of his stomach. Though Ron was out rather quickly, the raven-haired Gryffindor tossed and turned like usual, trying to find rest for about an hour. It wasn't until the sudden realization washed over him that he recalled having fallen asleep instantly with Parkinson lying beside him. And it was that strange recollection that made Harry Potter, go white as a ghost. Though in the morning, he would soon find out, Pansy…was the least of his worries.

Summer of 1692

Brushing the dirt and leaves from her crimson pajama bottoms, Hermione glanced around the dark woods in trepidation before her eyes landed on the blonde Slytherin looking in all directions roughly six meters away.

“Draco?” she called out, causing his eyes to snap to her before rushing over and embracing the witch in a hug. Though the moment was short lived when they both heard their names being shouted in the distance. After about five minutes of searching for the pair calling out to them, they came to realize the voices where echoing off the trees. They had no idea which direction Blaise and Ginny were, if they were even together. “Wait! Stop!” the brunette demanded while holding a hand against Draco’s chest as she listened through the rustling of the wind. “There! That way!” she pointed to her right before darting away from the Prince.

It wasn’t long until the pair stumbled upon Ginny after racing through the wooden thicket, but the redhead had no clue where the Italian was. Pulling out their wands and casting Lumos so they could see better in the dark, the bookworm quickly cast the Four-Point charm she had invented for Harry fourth year to help aid him in the Tri-Wizard Tournament, which naturally the whole school now knew about, before searching for Blaise in the thick trees.

It took all of two minutes before they heard the screaming of the dark-skinned wizard and feared he was in trouble as they ran as fast as their feet could carry them. However, when they finally reached Blaise, who was flailing in an oversized bush, Hermione and Ginny stood with their arms crossed and their heads tilted slightly towards him as their lips pressed into a thin line. They raised a single brow in irritation as Draco scoffed while shaking his head before helping his friend out of the shrub.

“Really, Blaise?” Ginny questioned with a roll of her eyes as the Italian brushed the leaves from his person. “You’re fighting a bush, you daft prat” she smirked before helping him remove the twigs off his back.

“It attacked me!” the dark-haired wizard retorted while Draco tried to hold back a laugh. “It did! We were standing in that stupid glowing green square and the next think I knew, I was fighting for my life! I could have died-STOP LAUGHING AT ME!” he screamed as both his blonde friend and the brunette Gryffindor burst into hysterics. “Let’s see whose laughing when one of you end up separated and alone with something attacking you in the pitch black!”

That had apparently shut them all up rather quickly, and they looked to their bare feet apologetically.

“So…” Ginny mumbled as the air grew eerily quiet. “Now what?”

“Now, we figure out if we are…where we think we are” Hermione frowned as she slowly reached into her beaded bag for her World History book.

“If we are where…well you know” Blaise began while silently praying that they had just gotten the riddle wrong, “then I’m staying put! I’m not going in there!”

“We don’t really have much of a choice here, Blaise” the brunette protested while relaxing her shoulders slightly. “We were sent here for a reason. The amulet is fixed, and it gave us that warning. We are obviously supposed to find the one that’s ‘innocent yet bold’ and speak with them.”

“They kill people like us in there!” he retorted angrily. “I’m not walking into that town o-or village or whatever the hell you want to call it, to be murdered or witness a fucking murder! Have you lost your damn fucking mind!”

“Now hold on just a damn second!” Draco cut in while holding up a hand in irritation. “Don’t fucking yell at her because you can’t handle a small town! It’s not her fault we were sent here and it’s not her fault we have to go in there! You are not the only one who has to do this shite, so pull yourself together!”

“Don’t you dare reprimand him for being scared!” Ginny responded with a hostile tone.

“You’re joking right?” the blonde countered with a mirthless chuckle. “You’ve been cozying up with him for all of five fucking minutes and you think you have the right to tell me how to speak to my mate?”

“Oh, piss off, Draco!” Blaise retaliated in aggravation.

“No, you and your fucking girl can piss the fuck off!”

“Alright!” Hermione interrupted as she slammed the book in her hands closed so hard it caused birds to scatter from the treetops. “Enough! We are all scared to go in there, but we have to! Fighting each other is not going to help us survive this era and we have to fucking do it together just like every other place we’ve been to! So, all of you, get your shite together, and let’s go!” she stated in utter annoyance, though she didn’t mean to curse and clicked her tongue at the understanding that all three people staring in awe, had rubbed off on her in ways she wished they wouldn’t have. But at least now she realized the reason they all cursed so much, was more for a release of feelings they couldn’t express, than trying to appear like a badass. However, as her friends continued to gawk at her for yelling at them, Hermione stopped marching and whipped her body around with a large scowl resting upon her face. “I said…Let’s go!”

Draco, Ginny, and Blaise quickly removed themselves from where they stood stunned and began following the bookworm through the woods as their stomachs dropped in absolute fear. The closer they were to leaving the thick coppice, the more worried they all became, but once they saw torches alight with a burning ember, they all halted their strides as they stood in a perfect line, shoulder to shoulder. There in front of them, just off to the side of the dirt road on a small boulder, lay a handcrafted wooden sign that would make even Lord Voldemort wince in fear. A creepy frightening sign that confirmed not only their location, but the vulnerability…they all faced.

**‘SALEM VILLAGE, MASSACHUSETTS EST 1626’**

“C-can’t we just camp in the woods like normal people who find out they were thrown back to 1626 to a town that literally hangs and burns witches?” Blaise whimpered as lumps formed in everyone’s throats.

“Salem never burnt any witches…” Hermione uttered in almost a whisper as they continued to stare at the wooden welcome sign. “And 1626 is just the year the village was founded. But…if we have learned anything from the relic and where it likes to jump us…I-I say we’re sometime in 1692…W-when the trials and hangings actually occurred.”

“Of course, it would” Draco scoffed while throwing up his arms in discontent and Ginny crumpled to the ground with her head hung low.

“Ehem…” the Golden Girl cleared her throat while licking her top lip and slightly nodding her head. “If you’ll excuse me for just a second” she claimed while raising a single finger. She began walking a few paces away from the group gazing at her in confusion, before stopping with her back turned towards them. She then cast a silencing spell around her body and screamed.

Though the three couldn’t hear the shrieking sounds coming from the brunette Gryffindor, they all knew the pain she was feeling. Not only were they in a town that basically jump started the Magical Congress of the United States of America, to protect wizard folks from muggles, but they were in a place that would accuse one of their own neighbors of witchcraft simply because they didn’t like them.

Wiping away a stray tear that escaped her lashes, Hermione inhaled a deep breath and released it slowly before removing her charm, turning around, and walking back to her group.

“You good?” Draco inquired with his arms crossed as he studied the girl standing in front of him.

“For now, yes…” she wearily smiled before bringing her book out once more to view the outfits of the time period. “We’re going to need to blend in before walking in there. Ginny can you help me with the outfits while Blaise and Draco go over money for a room?”

“Of course, Mione” the redhead somberly answered as she stood up and looked over Hermione’s shoulder at the tome in her hands, while Blaise slowly made his way to Draco, who pulled out his money pouch.

XX

Hidden in the trees, the group not only studied and practiced the way Puritans spoke but transfigured their pajamas into clothing similar to what they had worn in Jamestown, Virginia. The girls wore white coifs upon their heads with petticoats under their long black skirts. Their waistcoats were also black to show wealth, as black dye was very costly, giving them less of a chance to be accused, as the shifts that lay across their collarbones and aprons tied tightly around their waists, remained white.

Draco and Blaise, however, wore loose shirts with a stiff collar and wide sleeves that gathered at the cuffs, beneath woven black vests with simple silver buttons. Their knee-length breeches buttoned just over the stockings they would give anything not to wear, as they finished transfiguring the most uncomfortable buckled shoes they had ever worn. But as Hermione studied all of their outfits to make sure they matched the pictures in the book, she noticed something was missing on the boys and quickly gathered two sticks from the ground before altering them into brimmed felts hats.

After spending a few minutes to create a story for their sudden arrival, the four students took deep breaths before cautiously making their way down the long dirt path, straight into the Devils Lair. Upon arriving into the large town, they had noticed that almost no one walked the streets. A few candles flickered in the windows of the wooden First Period houses proving that the village was not half abandoned like in London, and they figured everyone was simply asleep in the late hours.

They continued to walk past many wooden structures with steep pitched roofs and diamond pained casement windows as smoke billowed out of the prominent central chimneys, until they passed a large home that sat alone near the edge of town, with an overhang and batten door. On the front porch sat a girl with shoulder length brown curly hair, no older than thirteen, playing with what appeared to be a bowl of eggs, which seemed rather curious. Though the four wanted no part in speaking with anyone unless absolutely necessary and were about to keep walking before the girl looked up and spotted them with wide eyes.

As they tried to not draw suspicion, Hermione waved to the girl as if she had known her, her whole life, before quickly continuing onward. Though, the teen was not letting them off that easily.

“Pray pardon me?” the girl spoke as she quickly stood up and raced towards the stunned group. “Tis not what it looks like, I swear to you! Please do not turn thee in, I am no witch! Twas just a game!” she pleaded with tears forming in her small brown eyes.

“Witch?” Ginny inquired in a soft tone as to not scare the girl while taking a small step forward, much to Hermione’s dismay. However, it seemed the redhead was very good at picking up accents and had no issue speaking in the Puritan language. “Whatever does thee mean, child? We have not seen a thing” she winked, hoping it would calm the teen enough to not allure attention towards them.

“B-but you saw thee…Y-you are not accusing thee of being afflicted with the Devil himself?” the girl questioned in a mixture of fear and confusion.

“Why would we accuse you of being afflicted, dear child?” Hermione replied gently as she followed Ginny’s lead. “We are simply traveling through this beautiful town of yours, in hopes that someone could help us. You see, we were attacked by Indians, and we lost all of our belongings. We have traveled very far and are famished. Do you know of somewhere we might stay for the night? Just until morn.”

“Indians attacked you?” the brunette girl questioned in astonishment. “Pray thy Lord, you are blessed to be alive!”

“Julia!” a handsome man that looked to be in his thirties, bellowed from the entrance of the home the girl once sat in front of. “Julia Hamman, you get in this house this instant! And what did I say about playing with our food?” he inquired as he bent down to pick up the bowl. “Eggs are for eating, not to waste on foolish games. Quickly now, the night is upon us and tis off to bed with you.”

“But father” Julia called back to the man, “these nice people were attacked by Indians and have lost everything! Perhaps the good Lord has brought them to here? We must aid them.”

“Be you foolish, daughter? Do not bother these people with your story tellings. Tis sinful and against Gods will.”

“I have done nothing of the sort, father!”

“We apologize, sir” Ginny quickly cut in, but once the man had laid eyes on the redhead, his shoulders instantly relaxed and his breath had seemed to catch. “Your daughter has been nothing but truthful. We have traveled a long way from…”

“Boston” Hermione whispered.

“Boston…and were attacked along the road as we traveled North to find a new home. We have lost everything, you see, and have stumbled upon your town. We are just looking for somewhere to stay the night.”

“The night, you say?” the man questioned, obviously intrigued by the group standing sullenly just outside his home. “I suppose I shall not hear the end of it from thy daughter if I were to leave you all on the streets durin this darkened hour” he sighed with his arms crossed in front of him as he took a moment to think. “You are welcome on thy land, but you must earn your keep, you hear?”

“Oh, blessed be! Thank ye!” Ginny cheered, though she had no idea what the term meant even though Hermione had tried to explain it to her earlier. “Bless you, Mr.-”

“Hamman, but you may call thee Joseph, Goody.” He smiled warmly as he stepped off to the side to allow the four room to enter his home. However, Blaise didn’t seem to be pleased with how the man was eyeing Ginny but had to remain calm so he would not blow his cover.

“Goody?” the redhead questioned in confusion.

“You are not married then?” Joseph inquired, almost a little too pleased.

“Goody means missus, Gin” Hermione whispered in her friends’ ear before drawing her attention to the tight hallway they had walked into that sat just below a staircase. “Nay, she most certainly is not married, Mr. Hamman. With our long journey, thy cousin has yet to find a suitable husband” she chuckled slightly as Draco raised a brow.

“A woman as beautiful as she, has not yet found a husband?” Julia giggled while admiring the skirt Ginny was wearing as the group of six walked into a fairly roomy sized kitchen that contained a rather large fireplace meant for cooking. “Men must weep and drool at her feet beggin for her hand!”

“Daughter, enough pesterin of our guests and bring them somethin to eat. They look famished” Joseph scoffed with a small chuckle. As Julia moved to prepare cold salted meat, apples and a few vegetables, he urged the group to sit on the benches at the long wood dining table. “So bid thee, what are your names?” he asked as he sat at the head of the table.

“Oh, uh…” Hermione began as she thought about giving fake names when it occurred to her that the man would most likely not remember nor care once they left the decrepit town. “I am Hermione, this here is thy fri-cousin, Ginny, and thy fiancé Draco…”

“And you?” he looked to Blaise who fearfully turned his gaze to the brunettes’ father. “You dress too wealthy to be a slave. What is your relation?”

“He be thy hired hand” Draco quickly answered so Blaise didn’t have to. “A bodyguard of sorts I had hired straight from the Royal Navy for protection after thee attack. Blaise is his name; he worked his way through the military and was never owned. He is a free man that I pay handsomely to watch over thy fiancée and cousin.”

“He does not speak?” Julia asked innocently.

“I feel tis better to listen than to speak, young one” Blaise cryptically spoke after studying the way the people in front of him were speaking. “Enemy secrets are better heard when one is silent” he winked causing the girl to giggle. “Nay, though tis true, I simply do not like to speak much. Twas not what I was hired for.”

“I see…” Joseph muttered as he curiously eyed the dark-haired wizard.

“Thank you again for taking us in” the brunette witch spoke gently as Joseph turned his attention to her and nodded. “Tis very kind of you. Though, I must ask, is there something occurring in Salem?” she questioned in hopes that they could obtain more information on what year they are stuck in. “Your daughter pleaded that she was not afflicted. I fear we have not heard much news since we began our journey. The days have also passed by so quickly tis hard to tell Spring from Summer anymore.”

“Don’t fret about the season, thy love” Draco smiled as he reached for her hand and squeezed it tenderly, causing Hermione’s stomach to flutter wildly. “Tis not yet winter so we shall thank the Lord for the bit of warmth we have now.”

“He be right, winter be not yet upon us on this warm July day” the brunette father agreed. “Although mischief…tis afoot. Folks are claimin witchcraft has found a way into our beloved homes. Five people have already been hung for the crimes I believe not, just a few short days ago.”

“You do not believe these tales?” Ginny inquired when she caught the tone the man had used.

“Nay! I know not what causes thee ‘afflicted’ girls to play such trickery, but they have shamed us all and damned themselves to the wrath of God! Just you wait and see.”

“They are my friends, father! Do not speak ill of thee!” Julia demanded as she laid plates of food and ale in front of the four.

“Mind your tongue, Julia Hamman! Your innocence makes you foolish! Those girls will have you accused of the Devils’ work just as they have falsely accused Goody Good, who was with child when she was arrested! And now look at her! Hangin by a noose at Proctor’s Ledge as her child lay in the ground after bein born in a filthy cell! They are not your friends; simply children who should be cast out from their foul and wicked ways!”

“Sorry, father…”

“Off to bed with you now. We will speak no longer of this treachery. Our guests do not wish to hear of these morbid tales and need to eat and sleep as well. We have much to do in thee morn. Do not delay, child…and say your prayers.”

“Yes, father.”

XX

After eating as much as they were allowed to, Joseph escorted the group out to the barn not far from his home, while carrying a few woolen blankets. Due to not knowing the four very well, he wouldn’t allow them to sleep in the house just yet, but had told them they would be comfortable in the animal shelter, and in the morning they would help with chores as payment for their stay until they could figure out what their next move was. Not that the group of Hogwarts students were complaining; sleeping on hay was much better than the cold hard ground they were growing used to and were extremely grateful they didn’t have to sneak around to find food and shelter. Though they would have rather not stayed with the horses and goats.

Once Joseph Hamman had left them to their rest, Hermione and Ginny quietly spoke while petting a few animals as Blaise and Draco placed cushioning charms on the dry fodder so none of them would be poked in the middle of the night. It wasn’t long until they all were fast asleep as the girls lay separated, so in case they were awoken, they wouldn’t seem improper as none of them were married. Though in the back of all their minds, they would have felt more comfortable sleeping closer together in case the green square showed up again. However, they had an odd feeling they were stuck in Salem, Massachusetts for a while.

XX

Eight glorious hours of uninterrupted relaxation that was much needed, Julia awoke the four students with a cheerful ‘good morning’ at six am. Rubbing the sleep from their eyes, they temporarily had forgotten where they were as they looked around to take in their surroundings before standing up with hay stuck in their unruly hair.

“Good marrow! How do you fare? The good Lord has given us another blessed morn” Julia chirped as she set a rag doll on a stool before walking over to a brown horse to pet its muzzle. “Father says I need to tend to thy chores before breakfast, and to have Mr. Draco and…I am sorry, I did not quite catch your name…”

“Blaise…” the Italian spoke softly as he removed a piece of straw from his shirt.

“Mr. Blaise…” she smiled warmly. “He be to have thee feed and water the animals and milk the cattle as Ms. Hermione and Ms. Ginny help thee collect eggs from the chickens and see to breakfast. Father has to meet Minister Parris but shall return in just a few short hours to join us.”

“And your mother?” Hermione inquired while removing hay from the mess upon her head.

“Thy…thy mother be with God. The winter illness took her against our prayers in the night back when we lived in England…just three short years ago. Tis just father and thee but we manage. Shall we begin? Father will want food on the table when he returns.”

“Aye, let us begin” Hermione answered softly as she looked to Ginny before walking out of the barn with Julia, leaving the boys to confusingly glance at each other because neither of them had ever milked a cow before.

XX

“How the bloody hell am I supposed to do this?” Draco asked with a tilt of his head as he stared hard at a black and white cow looking at him curiously in a stall. “Where does the milk even come from?”

“The udders…” Blaise replied with a chuckle before picking up a large hay bale and carrying it over to the horses. “You never seen a cow milked before?”

“Have you?” the blonde questioned with a raised brow.

“Yes, but I’ve never done it. I know you have to pull on the udders though and you use a bucket to catch it.”

“As if speaking in the Puritan language wasn’t hard enough!” the blonde mumbled loud enough to cause Blaise to snort.

Confusedly looking back to the cow with slumped shoulders, thinking he can master almost anything, Draco walked into the stall and picked up a bucket and small stool that sat in the left-hand corner. Cautiously stepping up to the large smelly beast as the Italian continued to sling hay into the other stalls, he set the stool on the right side of the animal and stared mystified at the large pink udders that hung in front of the rear legs.

Sitting down and slowly setting the bucket under the long nipples that dangled strangely, the cow’s tail flicked back and forth as he mumbled under his breath that he can do it. Reaching out and touching a teat with a disgusted expression, he pulled on the nipple, causing the cow to moo as it stomped its feet, forcing Draco to fall backwards in a panic. Rushing over as fast as he could, Blaise began to laugh when he saw his friend laying on his back as a grumble escaped the blonde’s lips.

“You didn’t lubricate your hands, did you?” the dark-skinned wizard chuckled as he moved to help Draco up.

“Fuck this!” the Prince stated in irritation while pulling out his wand and pointing it at the cow before mumbling a spell under his breath.

Instantly the udders on the animal began to move up and down as milk flowed effortlessly into the bucket, causing the blonde to smile in satisfaction before leaving the stall to do the same to the other two cattle. Blaise slumped his shoulders and shook his head as he rolled his eyes before getting the slop together in order to feed the pigs.

XX

“Why are you afraid of all the other creatures we have encountered but are okay with farm animals?” Draco asked as he helped scatter chicken feed on the ground of the bird pen.

“Because I know these animals won’t eat me and they aren’t as large as a mammoth or a dinosaur. Plus, have you ever pet a horse before? It sounds barmy, I know, but…calming in way. They’re magnificent creatures.”

“Mother always did love horses. Though father wouldn’t allow her to have one. I suppose once we return home, I’ll get her one.”

“BOYS!” Ginny called out as she stood in the middle of the field with her hands clasped around her mouth. “BREAKFAST IS READY WHEN YOU’RE FINISHED!”

“JUST SETTLING UP NOW!” Draco shouted back with a raised hand. “WE’LL BE IN IN A MINUTE!”

Ginny waved a hand before turning around to walk back to the house as Blaise and Draco finished their chores. Once they put everything back where they had found it, they quickly charmed their hands clean and made their way to the house.

As soon as they entered, Julia grabbed Blaise’s hand and dragged him to the dining table as Ginny finished cutting up bread that was a mixture of rye and maize the community had adopted from the Native America Wampanoag people. Hermione met Draco at the entrance to the kitchen with a slice of cheese in her hand and a large smile resting upon her lips.

“Open up you” she requested while holding the cheese up to the blondes’ mouth.

Draco raised a curious brow but parted his lips so the brunette witch could feed him and surprisingly was pleased at the taste of the cheese.

“Mmm, what kind is that?” he asked after he had finished chewing.

“I have no idea” Hermione mouthed so that Julia couldn’t hear, as she chuckled slightly. “Apparently it was made with goats’ milk and it takes a long time to create. Julia started making it months ago.”

Clearly impressed, Draco looked to Julia who was conversing with Blaise, well more like she was doing all the talking as Blaise sat and listened while helping her peel potatoes.

“Does she like him?” the blonde Prince inquired while tilting his head to the side.

“Oh, yeah…” the bookworm ticked in a whisper with a smile as she gently walked Draco over to Ginny so she could grab bowls to set the table. “She won’t shut up about him. His backstory of being in the ‘Royal Navy’ has had quite the impact on her. It’s innocent though, very adorable, but really annoying to constantly hear about.”

“I bet” he chortled as he leaned back against the counter next to Ginny and crossed his arms.

“So, how was milking the cows, Blondie?” Ginny questioned with snicker, causing Draco to make a face at her.

“It was fine, Red, thank you so much for asking” he answered as he reached over and flicked the ribbon hanging from her coif onto her face, making the redhead squeal as she batted his hand away.

“What cheer?” Joseph bellowed with a grin as he stepped into the kitchen and removed his hat from upon his head. “Tis but a glorious smell in here!”

“Father!” Julia chirped happily. “Ms. Ginny and Ms. Hermione have cooked a wondrous meal. Just wait until you taste the pottage! I have never experienced anythin so delicious in all my life!”

“I happily await the meal, daughter” he beamed. “And how fair thee chores?” he asked the boys as he sat down at the head of the table. “Find everythin alright?”

“Yes, sir” Draco answered as he took a seat across from Blaise. “You have a remarkable farm.”

“Thank ye, Draco…Now, shall we eat?”

“Aye!” his daughter yelped in excitement as she cleared away the potatoes and Ginny and Hermione brought the food over.

After saying grace, that Ginny, Blaise, and Draco were utterly confused by, and waiting for Joseph to take the first bite, which annoyed the blonde to no end, the group of six ate as they shared real life stories; although altered slightly to make them not seem crazy. Julia was extremely fascinated about the travels Hermione had taken with her ‘brothers’ across Europe as Joseph questioned where Ginny had learned to cook so well. It wasn’t until an hour later that the students found themselves being dragged down the dirt road as Julia eagerly showed them the town.

Apparently, it was rare for Salem to gain visitors, unless they were officials brought in to judge the trials, and a few townsfolk seemed weary at the sudden arrival of four young ‘Puritans’. Though Julia quickly calmed their nerves after explaining how her new ‘best friends’ arrived into the village. It was evident the place feared Native Americans and it appeared just the mention of them caused the air to grow stale.

They had met many people the young brunette was excited to introduce them to, including Reverend Samuel Parris, who blessed them before he and a few unnamed men arrested a woman by the name of Mary Toothaker, to be examined by four judges, who traveled all the way from Europe, for witchcraft. To say the sight of seeing an innocent woman arrested before their eyes, was terrifying, was not the right word for it. All it would take was for one person to claim ‘witch’ and suddenly one or more of the four students could be arrested.

Not wanting to take that chance, Ginny asked Julia if she could show them something with less people. But as the five talked while walking steadily down a dirt path past the Town Hall, five girls between the ages of nine and eighteen years old, could be seen giggling in a small huddle not too far from the Hall.

“O, no…” Julia whimpered with slumped shoulders as she stopped dead in her tracks.

“What tis it, child?” Ginny inquired when she saw the sullen look the girl was giving off.

“Tis thee girls thy father said are blasphemous” she whispered as Draco looked over to the adolescents who were eyeing the group before bursting into a fit of giggles again. Raising a brow in confusion as the five kept looking back to them, Draco returned his attention to Julia. “Tis young Betty Parris, who turns ten in November and thee daughter of the Minister, with her cousin Abigail Williams. Mary Walcott and Mercy Lewis are thee two eldest and…”

“And thee last girl?” Blaise questioned gently when the teen trailed off.

“Tis Ann Putnam Jr. She shall be turnin thirteen in October and thinks she be ready to marry off.”

“But she’s only twelve…” Draco stated in confusion, because even the Sacred Twenty-Eight waited for their daughters to reach the age of seventeen before having them courted to be married.

“Tis what father says as well. Though she be followin nearly all the eligible men in an effort to decide whom she wants to marry.”

“And…these are the girls you want as friends?” Hermione inquired before noticing the group heading towards them. However, almost instinctively the bookworm grabbed Draco’s hand, making him look down for a moment in confusion before realizing what the witch was doing.

“How now, Julia Hamman?” the eldest of the group said with a cheerful smile. “I do apologize for this abrupt intrusion but thee girls and I were just discussin how we have not met your friends yet. We heard such rumors but could not believe our ears until we have seen with our own eyes! Thy name is Mercy Lewis” she claimed with a small curtsy.

“And thy name is Ann Putnam” Ann stated firmly as she pushed through her friends with a determined grin plastered on her pale face while only gazing at the tall blonde Prince in front of her. Her hair was black as a raven and she looked eerily similar to Pansy Parkinson, which made Draco slightly snort at the comparison. “You dare to laugh at thy name?”

“Oh, nay, child!” the blonde quickly corrected. “You just remind me of a woman I know back in Europe. You could be her twin. Your looks are but the same.”

Though Draco knew the instant the words left his lips that it was the wrong thing to say. Ann slyly smiled as she gazed at the Slytherin Prince in adoration, before taking a step forward and held out her hand to him.

“Tis but a pleasure to meet you!” Hermione hastily cut in as she snuggled up close to Draco’s arm preventing him from shaking the adolescence’s hand “Thy name is Hermione, and this be Draco…thy fiancé” she claimed firmly, causing a small scowl to form on Ann’s lips. However, the raven-haired child turned the frown quickly into a fake smile as she eyed Hermione up and down.

“Pleasure…”

“I’m Ginny! Ginny Weasley!” the redhead interrupted with a wide grin when she noticed the tension building. “Hermione’s cousin.”

“And you?” Mary Walcott inquired as she glanced at Blaise with delight.

“Oh…uh, thy name is Blaise…ehem, Zabini.”

“He be from thee Royal Navy!” Julia perked as she hoped revealing the information would gain her respect from the group, that wanted nothing to do with her.

“Thee Royal Navy, you say?” Mary inquired while biting her lower lip and flickered her eyes below Blaises’ belt.

“Do you not have a surname?” Ann interrupted with her arms crossed while mentally imagining taking Princes’ last name.

“Malfoy” Draco answered sternly before clasping a hand over Hermione’s that was resting on his right bicep. “And thy future wifes’ is Granger. Soon to be Malfoy as well.”

Though Ann produced another sour expression before Ginny once again cut in.

“We really should be goin. Julia has been showin us your town and we wish to see everythin before our departure.”

“Aye!” Hermione quickly agreed as she guided Draco around the girls. “Tis been but a pleasure to meet you ladies. Perhaps we shall meet again.”

While the group said their farewells, leaving the children to sullenly watch them walk away, Ann Putnam clenched her fists tightly at her side while trying to come up with a new plan on how to get rid of the brunette swot and obtain Draco Malfoy…as her future husband. After all, one look at his handsome features and rich clothes was all she needed to covet the Malfoy name.

XX

After touring the town of Salem and hearing plenty of gossip from the teen they were staying with, Joseph kissed his daughter goodbye as he headed off to a town meeting. They had just finished a hefty lunch, or at least what the Puritans called dinner as lunch was apparently not a thing and supper was often eaten late at night, consisting of leftovers, the group was almost done cleaning up when Julia questioned their luggage situation.

“Oh…um, I suppose should buy somethin in town in the morn” Hermione stated while thinking quickly on her feet. “Draco darlin, do you mind if Ginny and I buy us some things from the town shops?” she asked as she remembered how women in this time period were to always obey a man, especially one they were supposed to marry.

“Uh, yeah-Yes!” he quickly corrected before Julia could hear his mistake and brought out his money pouch. “Buy whatever thee desires, my bride” he claimed while handing his money over to the brunette, who dusted off her hands before taking the pouch and leaving a small peck upon his cheek.

“Thank you” she mouthed with a smile before walking over to her bag, that she had charmed to look like a small brown sack and placing the pouch neatly inside.

“O, no!” the teen sulked while setting a bowl in her hand on the counter.

“What ails you, child?” Blaise inquired as he glanced to the girl who looked like she was on the verge of tears.

“I left thy doll thy mother made for thee out in the barn, I must go get it!”

“Is that all?” Draco chuckled as he uncrossed his arms. “Tis gettin dark out, child. I will grab it for you.”

“Bless you, Mr. Draco. Thank ye ever so much!”

Nodding his head, the blonde Slytherin headed out the back door that connected to the kitchen as Ginny began to tickle the girl in an effort to cheer her up. Hearing the laughter fade as he strode towards the barn, he scoffed with a small smile as he thought about his life at that point. He had never been as happy as he was when he was with the trio, he had traveled all over the world with, and he silently wondered if they could continue to stay close once they returned home. He liked the idea of sharing meals and learning more about how muggles did things; and Salem wasn’t as terrible as they all had expected. Yes, people were being accused left and right, but the group in that house, his friends…they were the only people he could actually see becoming his family.

While Draco picked up the doll still resting on the stool Julia had placed it when she had woken them that morning, Hermione began to secretly read over her history book she had altered to look like a bible, as Ginny and Blaise told stories to the young teen. Draco could see Julia laughing as Blaise acted out a dinosaur, through the kitchen window, and he chuckled slightly before remembering what his friend had said about petting a horse. Wondering if it was really true, that touching the animal was calming, the blonde turned around and steadily walked up to a light brown Mare.

Reaching out slowly as his nerves made his hand tremble, he hovered just above the horses’ muzzle before the Mare flicked her head like she wanted him to pet her. He jerked slightly at the movement as a small chuckle escaped his lips and gently touched the soft nose of the beautiful creature. The Mare then stepped forward before blowing in the Slytherins face to show affection as Draco continued to pet her and a soothing calm washed over him. Unfortunately, the moment was short lived as a voice startled him and made him drop the doll in his hand.

“Merlin’s beard!” he yelled while holding a hand to his chest as he exhaled deeply.

“Merlin?” Ann Putnam questioned perplexed. “Who-”

“No one!” Draco quickly cut in as he glanced around the barn. “Why are you not at home, Ann?”

“Father be holdin the town meetin. I no longer wished to be around thy siblings and chose to go for a short walk when I stumbled upon thee. What is it you are doin?” she asked while taking a step forward.

“You need to go home; you should not be here” he answered sternly as he bent down to pick up the doll he had dropped.

“I do not wish to…”

“You dare defy thee?” he inquired as he remembered what Hermione had told them about men in this era before entering the town and harnessed the way his father would ask such a question when Draco himself had said ‘no’ to a demand.

“I do not defy thee. No order was given…” she stated while taking another step closer with alluring eyes. “You are unhappy, are you not, Draco Malfoy?” The tone in her voice as she said his name, gave the Prince the creeps and he tried to think of the best way to get rid of the girl who apparently fancied him. And not in an innocent way like Julia was with Blaise. “You do not really wish to marry that…Hermione Granger, does thee? I is pure and I could make thee happy…Especially since your bride, does not appear to be a true Puritan.”

“What are these lies you speak, child?” he questioned as he recoiled and tried to hold back a gag willing itself to escape his throat.

“I am no child!” she claimed with a stomp of her foot. “I saw thee bride to be, I saw with thy own eyes! She be a witch!” she lied, hoping the reveal would steer the man she desired away from the woman she loathed. Although she was completely unaware at how correct she actually was about the Gryffindor Princess.

Understanding now what Ann was trying to do, Draco scoffed as a laugh escaped his lips.

“She be no more a witch than you!” he spat venomously as his grey eyes grew dark.

“Tisn’t true! She be a witch, Satan’s witch, and I am goin to tell!”

“Tell who?” he asked while clicking his tongue against his lips as he thought strongly about obliviating her right then and there. “You are but a child, Ann! And I have no need or wish to marry a child!”

“Draco?” Hermione called out, making the blonde realize how long he had taken to get a simple rag doll. “Draco, is everythi-Oh, uh…Ann!” she stopped at the entryway while relaxing her shoulders as to not give away that she had just learned important information about the girl. “What is it? Are you alright? Why are you not home?”

“I do not wish to be. I came to speak to Draco…alone” Ann claimed with fire in her voice as she narrowed her brows at Hermione.

“You need to leave, Ann. Come, I will escort you out” the brunette witch stated while waving a hand in front of her for the raven-haired girl to follow.

“Nay!” Ann yelled with another stomp of her foot, causing both Draco and Hermione’s eyes to widen in surprise.

“I beg your pardon?” Hermione challenged; already fed up with the almost teen who would later be responsible for accusing sixty-two people of witchcraft once Salem had finally completed its abhorrent witch hunt.

“Go home, Ann…NOW!” Draco demanded, but this time more firmly so not to be mistaken once again.

Ann Putnam whipped her petite body around and stared at Draco with wide eyes as if he had just slapped her in the face, before scowling in anger. Though the blonde was not going to be intimidated by a twelve-year-old and furrowed his brows to show he was serious. Driven with embitterment, Ann quickly spun on her heels and swiftly retreated from the barn, all the while conjuring a new plan in her mind on how to turn Hermione in.

As soon as the girl left the large animal shed, the bookworm hastily closed the barn doors and threw up a silencing charm before snapping her attention to Draco.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” she bit sharply while throwing the Slytherin Prince off guard. “You can’t just go around speaking to young girls alone! It is completely unacceptable for this time period and if Julia o-or even Joseph caught you in here with that girl…You could have gotten in a lot of trouble or Ann could have tried to pin something on you!”

“That is highly unlikely!”

“Oh, right,” she chortled, “I forgot I was talking to the man who apparently thinks he’s untouchable!”

“Sorry?” the blonde scoffed in irritation at being reprimanded for something he had no control over. “What the fuck did you just say to me?”

“You heard me! Don’t play coy and act like you didn’t! You think you’re practically the Prince of the Wizarding World and untouchable! And with magic on your side, you think you can take care of anything these muggles throw at you! Because of course, they’re still beneath you!”

“Are you fucking kidding me right now?” he questioned with venom dripping from his voice. “What the bloody hell more do you want from me, Hermione? I have already told you, Merlin, countless fucking times that I am not that same fucking guy anymore! I-I’m nice to those people in there because I actually like them, and I never once said anything bad about them or anyone else for that matter! I have listened to every damn thing you say to try and get you to understand that I am on your bloody side! I milked a damn cow for you for crying out loud! If I thought for one second that muggles where beneath me still, then I would have already killed half the people in this town for going after our kind! I…” he huffed heavily, “hold on a second...this-this isn’t about me is it?”

“What? What are you talking about, of course this is about you!”

“No, it’s not…You’re just…you’re picking a fight with me because you’re jealous” he claimed when he thought back on every reaction the brunette had had that day when any woman approached him.

“Jealous? Who the hell do I have to be jealous of?” she inquired in annoyance.

“Green is not your color, Hermione,” he scoffed while shaking his head, “it’s mine. And all day you have been trying to show everyone, including that lust filled adolescent, that I don’t belong to anyone but you!” he claimed sharply; not that he was complaining, he just didn’t understand the need for her to feel envious of a child.

“We are fake engaged, you git!”

“And yet you’re jealous of a twelve-year-old” he stated while pinching his lips together.

“That's not true! She is the main accuser who has already helped lock up and hang multiple people!”

“Yeeeaah, but it is true” he stated as a matter of fact while simultaneously dropping the doll in his hand without thinking. “You have gone well above and beyond trying to stake a claim over me, even though the relationship is fake and men and women during this time weren’t normally physically expressive with their relationships. So, why are you so willing to pretend that I’m yours, if you don’t actually feel anything for me?”

Hermione ran her tongue over her teeth as fury invaded her core and her hair began to spark as her magic flared.

“It’s…called…acting!” she spat, causing Draco to drop his shoulders in dismay before shaking away the hurt and walking up to the witch to place his hands on the tops of her shoulders. She quickly glanced at the hand resting on her right shoulder before looking back up at the blonde with a set glare.

“You…are terrible at acting, Granger” he sternly spoke with the most serious expression she had ever seen upon his face. “You can’t out lie a liar. And you have very specific tells when you lie.”

“We’re friends! Just friends, Malfoy" she claimed while averting her eyes from his now softened gaze. "It’s easy to pretend when…when it’s with friends…”

Stepping back as his head slightly bobbed up and down, he bit hard on his lip and assessed the brunette witch before him as she refused to meet his gaze. Frustrated yet again by her denial, he rubbed his hands roughly down his face before sliding them up into his hair, pulling slightly at the roots, as he shook his head and scoffed.

“What is it going to take for you to see me as someone who is more than my past? Than some stuck up pure-blood who used to pick on you as a kid? What more do I have to do to prove to you that I’ve changed? Gods, I am trying so hard here to be a good man for you, to be the right man, but you keep making things difficult and won't let me! Every damn time I think we have made some sort of progress in this 'friendship', you do a complete one eighty and go right back to how we used to act as fucking children!”

The bookworm finally lifted her hardened tear-filled gaze to the Prince, refusing to allow a single drop to slip from her lashes as she spoke.

“You never would have looked twice at me if we weren’t stuck here” she declared softly as a haunting quiet passed over the pair and it took the blonde a second to fully comprehend what the Gryffindor had said.

“Then you clearly don’t know me at all…”

“There you guys are!” Ginny interrupted cheerfully as she opened the barn doors and stepped inside. However, her smile turned into a frown when she felt the tension in the room. “What’s going on?”

Hermione lowered her head as Draco licked his lips while waiting for the brunette to respond with anything to prove him wrong, before flicking his gaze to Ginny, who had a worried expression set in her brown eyes.

“Nothing, Red…” he claimed as he glanced back to Hermione sorrowfully, trying to give her one last chance to admit she liked him, as more than a friend. But when the brunette continued to keep her eyes averted, the blonde held back the heartache he was feeling and nodded ever so softly. “Just like always…nothing will ever go on between us…” he stated dejectedly before walking past Hermione who finally looked to him and exited the barn in anger.

“Where are you going? Julia wanted you to tell her a story!” the redhead yelled as Draco continued to storm off past the house.

“I need to take a walk before I say something I’ll later regret!” he yelled without turning around.

“What the hell happened?” Ginny inquired as she looked to Hermione in confusion before seeing the fire brewing in her best friends’ misted eyes. “Oh, no…” she whispered gently before trying to think of something to calm the witch down. “There are no books in Azkaban, Mione!”

The Golden Girl snapped her eyes to the redhead before she looked back to the entrance the blonde Slytherin had walked out of, leaving her alone once again…just like he had back in Knockturn Alley.

“Thanks, Gin…But we’re not in 1999 anymore…No one would know if I killed him” she affirmed sarcastically before walking out of the large animal shed and back up to the house.

“Mione, wait! What happened?” Ginny called out as she followed her friend after picking up the rag doll laying on the ground.

Forcefully opening the door, Hermione stormed into the kitchen with tears begging to fall from her eyes as Blaise and Julia abruptly stopped talking at the table and glanced at the witch perplexed.

“Where be Mr. Draco?” the teen asked when she noticed Draco had not returned with the women. “Is everythin alright?”

“Not now, Julia” Blaise stated as he looked at Hermione hovering over the counter breathing hard.

“But he was supposed to bring thy doll…”

“Draco needed to take a walk, Julia” Ginny cut in before handing the doll over. “Why don’t thee go play in your room for a moment and I will be in in a minute, alright?”

Nodding her head slowly, Julia stood up from the table and walked towards the stairs to go up to her room but stopped in the hall near the front door when she heard Hermione begin to explain that Draco once again left her before she could explain anything. Now knowing that the pair had fought, Julia thought she could find some way to help them as she liked the couple very much. Setting her doll at the base of the steps, she quietly snuck out the front door and began to run down the road looking for the blonde Prince; never realizing however, that Ann Putnam, who was debating on when she could fake a witch attack while Hermione was near, saw the Hamman girl racing down the dirt street, unaccompanied.

“Tis too easy…Two birds…one stone…” she grinned wickedly before following the outcast teen she thought was absolutely annoying.

Friday, May 7th, 1999

“What are they doing?” Theo asked with his arms crossed as he and Ron stood near in an alcove of books and stared at Pansy and Harry reading while laughing together.

“Apparently, their friends now…” Ron scoffed as he rolled his eyes and replaced the book in his hands on the shelf.

“When the hell did that happened? Why did that happen, actually?”

“Last night-or, this morning technically, after you all came in the room during that…well whatever that was.”

“Well it does explain why she was asleep in your bed” Theo shrugged before his uncaring thought turned to anger when he saw Pansy lightly brush her fingers across Harry’s forehead to see where his fading scar laid. “What-the fuck-is she doing?” he inquired with gritted teeth.

Theo may have seemed to dislike his Slytherin housemate, but he was only pretending because he knew Pansy liked Draco. The lanky brunette was all about loyalty and refused to show he actually fancied the girl in case his mate ever changed his mind. But now Pansy was flirting heavily with Harry Potter and he began to feel betrayed after all the times he had shown her true kindness. He had let the girl into his home and sleep in his bed various times when her parents would argue in front of her, even going as far as to hold her as she cried in his arms. And now she was tossing both him and Draco to the side like they meant absolutely nothing to her, all for the Wizarding Savior who had just became her friend.

“Hold up, Nott!” Ron claimed as he quickly grabbed the arm of the Slytherin who apparently wanted to break the duo up. “I learned the hard way…many times, to not just go barging in there. It’ll only end badly for you. If you actually like her you need to not show your…well your Slytherin side.”

“Get off me!” the brunette demanded while ripping his arm free of the Gryffindor’s grasp and storming up to the pair joking about something they had just read. “What the bloody hell is going on here, Pans? Why are you flirting with Potter?” he asked with a clenched jaw.

“I beg your pardon?” Pansy questioned, completely thrown back at the sudden interruption. “We are just talking, Theo. And last I checked I can speak to whomever I wish. I don’t need your approval to have a conversation with Harry.”

“Told you…” Ron whispered, making Theo scowl at him before looking back to the raven-haired Slytherin.

“So, you’re calling him by his first name now?”

“Harry!” Ron cut in.

“Yeah, Weasley, I know his damn name!”

“No, Harry!” Ron pointed before rushing over to his best friends holding his chest as he appeared to be unable to breathe. “Harry, what is it? What’s wrong?” the redhead panicked causing everyone else in the room to look up as his best friend stumbled backwards, knocking over the chair he was sitting in before falling to his knees.

“Harry? Harry!” Narcissa stated in alarm as she dropped the book in her hands and raced to the Golden Boy, before cupping his face in her hands. “Harry! Harry, tell me what’s wrong!”

“What did you do, Theo?” Pansy demanded to know as she helped Narcissa steady The Chosen One.

“I didn’t do anything!”

“I-I can’t…” Harry began through deep gasps. “I-I can’t brea-breathe…I-I can’t” he inhaled a deep breath as a wave of fear washed over him that didn’t fully feel like his own, “I can’t see!”

“Oh, no…” Thorfinn declared in almost a near whisper.

“What, Rowle?” Narcissa pleaded as she began to bring out her wand. “You know what’s wrong with him…? Answer me, damn it!”

“What the-What’s going on?” Molly cut in as she and Elizabeth stepped into the Library and witnessed the shocking scene before them as they rushed across the room in order to try and help.

“He’s fine…” Thorfinn stated rather calmly. “Well, I mean as long as Draco is fine…”

“What do you mean ‘as long as Draco is fine’?” the former Slytherin Queen snapped as Harry almost collapsed in her arms. “What is happening to Harry? What is happening to my son?” she yelled in terror.

“Nothing that I know of…At least not yet. I told you this would happen, Cissy. Potter is beginning to have a vision.”

“This is the beginning of a vision?” Molly challenged as they all watched Harry’s eyes roll back before his head suddenly slumped forward and everyone grew instantly quiet.

All the while Draco sat alone in the darkening woods at the base of a large oak tree, as he tried to think about his happiest memory. Only one ever came to mind anytime he tried to produce a Patronus, but the memory of his mother’s joy when they both discovered they wouldn’t be sent to Azkaban thanks to Harry and Hermione’s testimonies, wasn’t working. He was still too angry at once again being hurt by Hermione’s words, or lack thereof, and it was apparent the memory wasn’t powerful enough anymore.

Though he had calmed down since he had walked away from the witch, he for some odd reason desperately wanted to please, he still couldn’t suppress the pain he felt. He thought he had done everything right but wondered if he could show her that an ex-Death Eater was capable of producing the most powerful light spell in all of the Wizarding World, then maybe she would change her mind about him. He just wanted to show her, he was worthy of her affection. What more could he do besides grovel? Not that he would. Even if she ended up being the love of his life he would never stoop as low as groveling…

“Did I just think about love? Salazar, I have officially lost it…” he whispered aloud to no one while throwing his head back against the bark of the tree, though completely unaware that one small brunette muggle was watching him.

Shaking his head as he tried to think of another memory to try and calm his building anger towards Hermione, a sudden thought about her lips against his in Pompeii, unwillingly rose to the surface, and he replayed that moment over and over again in his mind. Giving in as no other memory wanted to come to him, Draco sighed heavily as he focused on the kiss and whispered the two words a former Death Eater should never be able to speak.

“Expecto Patronum…” he uttered soundly, but as Draco expected a shapeless cloud of mist to burst forth from the tip of his wand, like it had countless times before, a blinding, brilliant, silver animal flared into the air, startling him.

A bird-like creature silently flew through the air as it flapped its massive wings and the Prince had to squint his eyes in an effort to see what it was. It took him a few seconds before understanding that he had not only preformed a corporeal Patronus for the first time, but that his Patronus…was a Eurasian Eagle Owl, just like the one he used and still uses, at Hogwarts for mail.

Staring at its magnificent beauty as the Owl continued to fly through air, Julia stared with wide eyes and a slacked jaw in utter amazement. She had never seen something so marvelous and dazzling in her entire life. Though she wasn’t scared of Draco and the magic he had just used but instead found herself fascinated at what else he could do…and idly wondered if the rest of his group, knew he was a wizard.

“Julia Hamman!” Ann called out when she noticed a bright light and the girl peeking around a large tree. “What are you up too?”

Julia quickly turned her head and shushed the Putnam girl before she gave away their position, when an idea on how to get the girl to be her friend, came to mind.

“Come here!” she whispered while waving the raven-haired girl to her. “You must see this! Tis but a beauty to withhold!”

Raising a brow in confusion, Ann cautiously stepped up to Julia, whom she still did not like, and looked around the tree to witness Draco with a long stick in his hand as he appeared to control a large bird in the sky. Her eyes went wide in fear when she suddenly realized what she was witnessing. Breathing heavily while stepping back a few paces, her eyes darted to Julia, who glanced at her perplexed, as a thousand thoughts of how she no longer wished to marry someone who was a witch, crossed her mind.

“Get away from him, Julia Hamman!” she ordered as she continued to step back. “Tis Satan’s work! Tis a sin!” she yelled before running away in absolute terror.

But unfortunately for Draco, he didn’t hear the dangerous words uttered as he was too focused and fully captivated by the Owl now resting on a branch in the tree across from him. It wasn’t until a few minutes later, after renewing the charm, that he suddenly felt multiple strong hands grab him and place a heavy, unbreathable, burlap sack over his head.


	12. Slytherin Pride

_“Over-thinkin', I don't know who I am without you, I'm a liar and a cheat, I let my ego swallow me, And that's why I might never see you again” -Empty Space- James Arthur _

Chapter 12- Slytherin Pride

Friday, May 7th, 1999

“Help me! Please!” Harry begged while on his knees. He still couldn’t see a thing, but he at least was able to breathe somewhat better. However, each breath he took, warmed his face as if something was covering his head. Though what had him completely unnerved, resided in the fact…that no one seemed to hear his forlorn pleas.

He had no idea what was happening to him and try as he might, he could no longer pick up the voices of the people in the Library. Though his wrists grew uncomfortably hot; almost as if something was consistently rubbing hard against them as the pain in his face caused his head to feel like it was cracked open.

“You said he might feel pain, not that he would experience wounds as well!” Pansy yelled as she turned her scowl away from Thorfinn and glanced at Potter’s hands while she and Narcissa tried to lay Harry down. But the strangest thing occurred, and his body wouldn’t budge. They then tried to help him stand instead, but once again…his body wouldn’t move. “What the bloody hell is going on?”

“A-are those…rope burns?” the Malfoy witch shrieked as she watched the raven-haired boys’ skin, directly above his hands, turn a dark shade of crimson and impressions of twisted twine wrapped around his wrists. “Is Draco being tied up? What’s happening to my son?” she pleaded while lifting the Chosen One’s hands to examine the wounds appearing on his flesh. “WHERE ARE THEY?”

Elizabeth quickly ran to the map and searched for the blood pool before looking up at the date. A loud gasp escaped her lips as she clutched a hand to her chest and stumbled backwards in sheer terror. Though, if it weren’t for Neville standing directly behind her, she would have fallen off the stage as she lost her balance. The Gryffindor caught the muggle and quickly righted her as everyone looked to them in bewilderment…waiting for an answer. Elizabeth began to hyperventilate as Neville set her down in an open chair, and when Luna rushed over to try and help calm the woman, the brunette wizard raced back to the wall to see what had Hermione’s mother in such a fright.

“Oh…my…Godric…No…” he stated in pure shock.

“What?” Molly inquired as Thorfinn raced to the stage and stood next to the young student. “Someone say something!” she demanded while pulling a stopper out of a Calming Draught she had found in her purse and handing it to Luna to give to Elizabeth.

“Fuck…” Rowle soundly spoke before inhaling deeply. “They’re in their first Big One…They’re-they’re in Salem…Massachusetts…1692.”

But no one had a chance to speak as Harry let out a loud grunt and his back heaved before suddenly slumping forward; his head now dangling in front of him as he faced the floor. Thorfinn recognized the action instantly; it was something he was all too familiar with as he had been punched in the stomach more times than he could count after being punished by the Dark Lords’ puppets. Yet as he tried to imagine the situation the youngest Malfoy had found himself in, The-Boy-Who-Lived’s face snapped to the right just before a large red bruise began to appear on his cheekbone and it abruptly occurred to the former Death Eater, that Draco was in no position to fight back.

“He’s been outed…” he whispered as he watched Harry’s head snap to the side again. “Merlin, I think he’s been accused of witchcraft!” he claimed as eight sets of eyes stared up at him in horror.

“We don’t know that!” Ron shouted in a mixture of fear and worry.

“He’s having a bloody vision, Weasley! And they’re in Salem of all fucking places! You don’t get beat in Salem unless you have been accused!”

Another punch landed hard and fast at Harry’s face and he began to spit up blood as a foreign man in front of him shook his punching hand in the air and whooped.

“We have him now, men!” the man spoke with a laugh as he clenched his hand to rid the pain after striking Draco three times now. “A Satan worshiper caught in thee act! Thee Devil’s own son, I tell you!” he stated before spitting on the sack that was preventing Draco from seeing the faces of those who dared challenge him.

Four men from the village encircled the blonde wizard, each filled with hatred for any of his kind. The older man to the blonde’s left, was tall, with beady black eyes, a dark grey overgrown beard, and sinuous muscles built from years of hard labor. His sandy brown-haired comrade statured in front of the Prince, was a young man barely older than Draco, vying for the attention of the tall mans’ second eldest daughter...the promise of her hand in marriage was his sole reason for helping capture the blonde tonight. And the last two, standing directly to the Slytherin’s right, were broad shouldered, stocky men who worked in the jail, or better known as 'Salem's dungeon', reveling in the torment of others as they forced confession before their prisoner’s demise.

Although the main issue in that moment for the blonde tasting blood within his mouth, was that he had dropped his wand in the darkened woods and had no way of summoning it with his hands tied tightly behind his back. He tried to use wandless magic to break the sharp thread binding him, but after the second punch to his face, he could no longer concentrate, and his head was pounding as a headache throbbed painfully throughout his skull.

“Please…” Draco begged while on his knees, hoping he could lie his way out of mess he’d found himself in. “Please, I have done nothing wrong! I am no follower of Satan!”

“Lies! Be a witch, you are! Thee Devil be but a deceitful creature!” one of the men to the right of the wizard spat venomously.

“I AM NO LIAR!” the Slytherin shouted in hopes that maybe someone from his group could hear him as his heart beat rapidly within his chest.

“We saw you and your wicked ways!” the young man claimed vindictively. “We saw thee call upon the false God and now you must confess thy sins!” he viciously spoke before winding up to punch the Prince once more.

“Enough!” the burly man declared strongly, right before the young Puritan was about to strike Draco for a fourth time. But though the bearded man had saved the blonde from another hit, he glowered angrily with his arms crossed, clearly trying to decide if they should even await a confession to end the wizards’ life. “We shall take him to the dungeons. Reverend Parris and his judges will know what to do with this…demon. Though I suspect he shall have a trial not…and hang come morn light” he chuckled malevolently. “Pick him up!” he demanded as the men around him quickly grabbed Draco’s biceps ruthlessly and forced him to his feet. However, before the men could walk their prisoner out of the woods, the elder man stood so close to the Prince, that even Harry could feel the warm rancid breath upon his face. “If we could burn you witch, we shall. Tis but a quick death, so instead I shall beseech thee court…so I can watch you hang as thy eyes watch you slowly perish back to the hell you came from…” he smirked cruelly. “After I personally see to your…confession.”

The village men savagely laughed as the bearded man stepped to the side and they began to drag their hostage from the trees. Fully aware of what was about to happen, Draco struggled against both his bonds and the single set of hands which held him, as the others discussed their plans for his torment.

Thinking quickly on his feet, the Slytherin Prince used the uneven ground to his advantage and after purposely stumbling a few times, loosening the man's grip on his hands, he tried to make a run for it. Where he would head though with a sack over his face, he wasn’t sure, but he refused to be taken quietly.

Running as fast as his feet would allow, Draco made it all of twenty feet before being tackled by the youngest member of the group. Furious with his attempted escape, each of the Puritans took turns in kicking and lashing out at him. One had then picked the Prince up by his shirt and punched him twice in the same eye that'd been damaged earlier, while two others kicked him in his lower back and groin until the unmistakable sound of a bone breaking in his ribs, rent the air. He held back his cry of pain as he bit his lip, drawing blood in the process, before the men suddenly stopped, but with the bag over his head, he couldn’t see why.

"ENOUGH!" growled the senior as he pushed the others back to cease their onslaught. "He cannot confess before thee good Lord if you kill him now?" The others were breathing hard as they stepped back and pushed hair from their eyes, silently agreeing with their leader. "You two" the grey-haired man sneered as he gestured to the stocky men "drag him between thee. We have but a long walk and I want him inside before daybreak!"

Grunting in agreement, the two hoisted Draco between them by his biceps while the youngest bound his feet together to keep him from running once again.

Pain riddled his body as his feet dragged over the ground. He could feel his left eye swelling shut as they moved further through the woods. The broken bone or even bones, he didn’t know at this point, of his ribs sent waves of agony through him as his arms brushed up against his right side.

Unable to concentrate on anything more than the pain spiking every other time they took a step, or his feet hitting something in the path, Draco slumped to the ground just outside the tree line and succumbed to the darkness as Harry was suddenly ripped from the Slytherins’ body and lay helplessly on the Library floor in a terrified tremble. All the while, Julia Hamman watched with tears falling from her eyes as her damned friend…was hauled away.

Salem, Summer of 1692

“I think one of us needs to go look for them?” Blaise stated as he rubbed Hermione’s back on Julia’s straw filled mattress when they realized the young girl had gone after Draco.

“I’ll go” Ginny replied with her arms crossed and her fingers resting upon her lips. “You need to stay here in case Joseph comes back and is angry that his daughter is missing. You’re the strongest next to Blondie and can probably explain things better since Mione is completely unstable.”

“I’m not unstable…” the brunette softly spoke while rubbing the back of her neck with her hand and glancing up at her red-headed friend before licking her lips as two questions wouldn’t leave her mind. Though she supposed by now she shouldn’t even have to ask. “Gin…?”

“Yeah, Mione?”

“How…how do you trust Draco so easily…? After all he was the one who let the Death Eaters into the school. I mean, if he didn’t do that then Fred might still be alive…And…and how can you be so sure he is willing to still stay friends with you and be nice to you once we make it home?”

Ginny lowered her hand slowly from her mouth and flickered her eyes to Blaise who also appeared stunned by the questions. However, Hermione kept her eyes on the Gryffindor as she awaited the answers, she felt she so desperately needed to hear in order to understand her feelings for the Prince.

“Mione, I…we were kids…” she claimed softly as water began to coat her soft brown eyes, “a-and we were at war. Draco had as little of a choice in what he could do, as we did. We all know he didn’t want to do any of those things but was forced to, otherwise…otherwise he and his family would have died. Can you honestly say you wouldn’t have done the same for me or for Harry…? For your own parents? He was just a kid…I thought we were over this-I thought…I thought you trusted him…”

“I do!”

“No, you don’t. You wouldn’t be asking me this if you did! Gods Mione, you told him you trusted him! You told him you forgave him already!”

“I know I did! It’s just hard to not think about!”

“Merlin!” Ginny threw her head back in annoyance. “He was forced into a life he never should have been a part of! Yes, he made horrible mistakes, but he is trying to learn from them!”

“But his actions got your brother killed” Hermione declared as a matter of fact.

“You don’t know that?” Ginny answered firmly as anger began to fill her heart and she stared at her friend in shock. “Fred could have easily still died, Hermione! That war was chaotic, a-and Voldemort and his Death Eaters, they would have still found way into our school without Draco’s help! And as for him being my friend once we get back home;” she continued, fully fed up with the bookworms constant back and forth about her feelings. Not to mention the fact that Hermione using her dead brother as an excuse to push Draco away, made her blood boil, “I know he will because like I’ve told you, Godric I don’t even know how many times now, he has changed! Why are you being so stubborn about this? I am honestly getting sick and tired of sugar coating this for you! Stop living in the damn past and move on already! It’s obvious he really likes you, Mione and it’s apparent he is doing his fucking best to prove it to you! So, why won’t you just let him?” she snapped as her magic began to spark from the tips of her fingers and she moved to exit the room. But quickly whipped back around to prove one more valid point to the witch who apparently needed things spelled out for her.

“And by the way, in case you haven’t noticed, because I sure as hell have, you stop having nightmares the second he lays next to you! Which is remarkable if you ask me, because I have been trying to help you ever since school started back up with absolutely no luck! But all he has to do is sleep near you and you’re bloody fine! You may be fighting with yourself about what you feel for him, but your body sure as hell isn’t! So, for once in your damn life, Hermione, listen to your heart rather than the insane notion you keep trying to pass off as logic and leave my fucking brother out of it!” she finished with grunt before turning on her heels and stalking out of the room to look for the missing duo. Leaving Hermione to lower her face into her hands and think about how right her best friend was.

XX

Walking angrily down the dirt road, not too far away from the tree line into the woods, Ginny halted her stride to kick a stray pebble as she tried not to think about her lost brother after the bookworm had brought him up. Though when she glanced at where the rock had landed, she spotted a dark pool of liquid settled in the soil. Slowly taking a few steps forward, she bent down to examine the fluid before realizing it was blood. Confusion filled her mind but the many questions she had about why blood was on the ground, escaped her when she heard a faint voice calling her name.

“MS. GINNY!” Julia cried out as she ran full force from of the woods towards the redhead. “MS. GINNY!”

“Julia? Julia! What are you doing? Where have you been? You had us worried sick!” The teen however, ignored the inquiry of the Gryffindor and ran straight into her as she hugged her tightly and cried into the witchs’ stomach. “What the-what’s wrong? Are you hurt? Tell me this instant, child!” she demanded as she pulled back to examine the girl for any wounds.

“Something…terrible has happened…” Julia sobbed. “I-I did not know she would tell!”

“What are you talking about? Who?” The brunettes’ bottom lip quivered dejectedly as she tried to think of how to tell Ginny of her mistake when the redhead glanced at the stick firmly gripped in her hand. “Is that…Where-where did you get that? Where did you get that, Julia?” she ordered as panic washed over her.

“Tis Mr. Draco’s…” the girl admitted dolefully through her fallen tears. “I-I saw thee in the woods…He-he made a be-beautiful Owl and-and then Ann Putnam arrived. I thought showing her thee beauty of what h-he could do would help thee make a friend…I did not know she tell!”

“Where is he?” Ginny inquired as her heart raced and her breath grew ragged.

“I-I do not know!” Julia wept. “F-four men came and…and they beat him, Ms. Ginny! They beat him and called him a witch!”

“No…” she whimpered while breathing heavily as her eyes darted back and forth. “No…Oh Godric, no!”

Before Julia could utter another word, Ginny grabbed Draco’s wand from her hand and began forcefully dragging her back to the house as quickly as she could. Slamming open the door, while profoundly breathing, the redhead called out to Hermione and Blaise before finding them in the kitchen talking.

“Gin, what’s…Julia!” Hermione released a sigh of relief as she stood from the table, but her brows suddenly narrowed when she saw the dread written all over her best friends’ face. “Ginny…? What’s-”

“Draco’s been taken” the redhead spoke quickly as a tear slid down her pale cheek, forcing Blaise’s eyes to go wide as he slowly stood in concern. “Ann Putnam has accused him of witchcraft, and he has been taken, Hermione!”

“No…” the bookworm uttered as her gaze stayed fixed on the angry Gryffindor in front of her and her heart dropped while her lungs suddenly closed. “How? When?” she questioned as her hands clenched into fists at her side.

“Half past an hour ago” Julia claimed while wiping her wet face with the back of her hand.

Though that was the most the small brunette could get out before the sound of the front door slamming closed startled the four of them.

“WHERE ARE THEE!” Joseph’s voice boomed before he stormed into the kitchen in an apparent rage. “You! Did thee know?”

“What?” Hermione inquired as she slowly stepped back while trying to play coy.

“Did thee know your fiancé is a witch?” he demanded while taking a step forward in outrage as Blaise quickly placed himself between the pissed off muggle and his friend.

“Calm down, Joseph! We can explain everything” the dark-skinned wizard tried to calmly say as he broke his cover because it was blatantly obvious, they no longer needed to use it anymore. “Please don’t make us hex you. I would rather not have Hermione wipe your memories, but if it comes down to it, I won’t stop her.”

“So tis true…?” the man exclaimed in shock. “You are all witches?”

“Well, witches and wizards, if we’re being technical about it…” Blaise shrugged.

“SINNERS! ‘Those who practice witchcraft, idol worshipers, and all liars–their fate is in the fiery lake of burning sulfur!’ You are all sinners!”

“Oh, enough! Don’t you dare quote the bible at me!” Hermione yelled before reaching for her wand and casting a boundary spell followed by a silencing charm around the room. “Yes, it’s true! We have magic!”

“Mione, the butterfly effect!” Ginny proclaimed as she watched magic flare from the witch before her.

“Screw-the damn-amulet, Ginny! We are already fucked as it is!”

“I do not believe thy eyes! You are to kill us! Please witch, I beg thee, do not harm thy daughter!”

“I would never hurt her…or you for that matter” the Golden girl stated with a heavy sigh. “We aren’t evil, and we did not fight in a war so that the light could start hurting innocent people. There is a such thing as good witches and wizards and Draco is one of them. And if we are going to save him then we are going to need your help. I also realize the only way for you to understand that we are not devil worshipers or Satanic in anyway, is to show you the good that magic can do.”

“Are you sure that’s a good idea, Buttercup?”

“It’s the only way, Blaise” she claimed gently while flicking her wand in the air, causing a bright light to burst from the tip before the white mist turned into an Otter that began to bounce happily around the room.

Julia giggled when the Otter floated carefree around her as Joseph’s eyes widened in a mixture of overwhelming fear and absolute amazement before the creature bounced away from the small brunette and out the closed window.

“W-wh-what the-”

“It’s called a Patronus” Hermione began to explain carefully. “Whether you believe me or not, it’s the purest form of light magic there is that requires a happy memory and is extremely hard to conjure. It protects us from…from dark beings who can suck out a human soul.” The bookworm didn’t think the father’s eyes could grow any wider, but they did. “Anyway, I sent it to find Draco, so he knows we are coming for him. And we are going to save him with or without your help, though without will be harder as we don’t know this town’s layout well. I can’t explain why or how we're really here right now, but I promise you we're not going to hurt you” she claimed before slowly raising her Vinewood wand and pointing it at Joseph who backed away in fear.

Flicking her wrist, she cleaned the dirt from his ragged clothing before charming the entire house clean. Once everything was neat and orderly without a speck of dirt to be seen, the Golden Girl picked up a bowl off the counter and set it on table. “What would you like to see?” she inquired softly. “What will convince we are good?”

“Nothing!” Joseph spat as he stared in horror. “1 Corinthians 10:21, You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons!”

“Matthew 7:1, Judge not lest ye be judged!” Hermione quickly argued as her eyes hardened and she recalled every verse she could think of that her parents’ Pastor had taught during his church sermons when she was young.

“Exodus 22:18, Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live!”

“John 8:7, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone!”

“OKAY STOP!” Ginny shouted as the pair breathed heavily in front of her. “If we wanted to hurt you, Joseph, we would have done it when we met you” she spoke sharply before softening her shoulders and gazed at the father, hoping her calm demeanor and the fact that the man seemed to like her more than the rest of her group, would help convince him to assist them. “What happens in your town…it affects us all and it forces us into hiding. We were born with a wonderful gift, but your people punish us for something we can’t change. Please…he’s my friend, and right now…the only family we have. Please help us get to him…”

“He has saved us all countless times, Mr. Hamman…” Hermione added with tears brewing in her softened eyes. “It’s our turn to return the favor. I’m begging you…please…” she stated as a drop of water slipped from her honey brown irises and landed silently on the table.

Joseph glanced back and forth between the four sets of eyes pleading with him before softening his features and looking to the floor.

“Tis thy fault, father” Julia claimed with a quivering lip, making the man raise his gaze to his daughter. “You told thee to not bother with those girls and I did not listen. I have infringed upon thee and now Mr. Draco shall be hanged like Bridget Bishop who was only trying to help Ann Putnam Sr. Please father…let us turn to God and pray. For he would not want this to happen…”

“Our God would not allow witches into our home!” he scolded.

“Then thee does not know the true word of our Lord!”

“You dare-”

“Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you!”

“Julia!”

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God! Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God! Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy!”

“Julia enough!”

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven! Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you! God would not want this, father! Our guests have shown us nothing except kindness and mother would be ashamed of you for casting them out, she would be ashamed as I am of you now! You are not the father who raised me to be kind, to be loyal, to be brave! You are a coward and you are selfish to allow Mr. Draco to be beaten for somethin he cannot change! For a gift God himself has given on to him!”

It took a long moment of silence as Joseph stared at his daughter in disbelief and thought about the words she had spoken before thinking about the compassion his departed wife stood for. All the while Hermione stared in recognition at Julia.

“The one that’s innocent…yet bold…” she muttered, causing both Blaise and Ginny to turn their attention to her before looking to the teen beseeching her stunned father with tears brimming her copper brown irises. “Where is he, Joseph?” she pleaded after shaking away the understanding that Julia was indeed the ancestor of the advisor who created the amulet that sent them to Salem in the first place. “Where is Draco?”

“He…he be in thee town jail…” Joseph spoke so softly Hermione had barely heard him, but she released a sharp exhale without even realizing she was holding her breath.

“Where’s the jail?” Blaise inquired as he reached for his wand, clearly readying himself to storm the front doors and hex anyone and everyone he saw until he reached his friend.

“Tis across town” the father answered before running his fingers through his dark brown hair. “But it will not be easy to get to.”

“Why not?” the redhead questioned worryingly.

“Tis heavily guarded and…and thee whole town…they be looking for you.”

“What? Why would they be looking for us?” the brunette asked perplexed. “Did he out us?” Hermione began to slightly panic as the idea of Draco giving them up for his own selfish need to not be taken, ran through her mind, but after quickly thinking it over, she knew he wouldn’t. Old Draco maybe, but not the new one, the kind one; the one that had put his own life in danger to save hers, the one who had tried so desperately to prove to her he has changed but she just refused to see it because she thought it was impossible…and was scared. “It was Ann…wasn’t it? She hasn’t liked me from the start.”

“Aye…” he sighed. “She came runnin into thee Hall screamin like a possessed heathen sayin Draco was a witch. Then she all but say you was a witch as well before all the town started shoutin over one another saying ‘if them two be witches, then thee whole group must to be’. I could not believe thy ears and came running home as fast as thy legs could take thee.”

“So, what are we waiting for?” the Italian questioned with a slight bounce as he grew impatient. “Screw those people-no offense, but that’s my best mate out there and he needs us! I already lost one family Joseph…I don’t plan to lose another…Where across town is the jail he’s being held in?”

“I would not go if thee knows what tis best…” Joseph sighed before walking over to the table and taking a seat on the bench. “I do not know what is to become of your friend…but thee jail was charged with a strict lock down as Draco was seen casting what they say…to be dark magic…”

“Dark magic? That doesn’t sound like Draco…” Ginny claimed with narrowed brows.

“Do we know what happened to his wand?” Hermione asked as she looked at all the faces in the room.

The redheads’ eyes widened when she realized what the bookworm wanted to do as she remembered Julia found the Hawthorn wood on the ground. Lifting her hand and quickly passing the blondes’ wand over to Hermione, the brunette took the stick and laid it gently on the table.

“Prior Incantato” she spoke loud and clear as a gold light shot from the tip of her Vinewood and a ghost of the spell appeared above the Prince’s wand. Though her eyes grew wide when she noticed what the Slytherin was capable of. “H-how is he able to cast a Patronus? He’s a former Death Eater he shouldn’t be able to do that. I don’t understand?”

“Outside of Professor Snape, he’s the only prior Death Eater that was capable of love, Hermione…” Blaise claimed while rubbing the back of his neck. “He’s been able to produce, at least to my knowledge, an Incorporeal Patronus since the war ended.”

“What be an Incorp-Incor-” Julia struggled to ask as she had no idea how to say the words the group was speaking.

“Incorporeal Patronus” Ginny finished for her before explaining it. “It’s…it’s what Hermione sent to Draco…that Otter. Except hers was corporeal which means it takes the shape of an animal.”

“Mr. Draco’s was an Owl!” the girl quickly responded with a wide smile. “It twas beautiful! And it flew all around the trees!”

To say the three staring at the teen were shocked, was an understatement. Hermione had even dropped her wand at the sudden knowledge that was just revealed to her as Blaise and Ginny’s mouths gaped open.

“Tis…tis bad?” the girl questioned in concern.

“It’s…” Blaise began as he tried to shake the amazement away, “it’s the complete opposite, actually. He’s never been able to produce a Corporeal Patronus before. What memory is strong enough to…” the dark-skinned wizard cut himself off as he turned his eyes to the Gryffindor Princess picking up her wand from the floor. “It was you…it had to be.” Hermione froze as Blaise tried to put it all together. “He tried right after China to see if your talk was a good enough memory because it left him elated that you even spoke to him, but…it didn’t work. Something must have happened between you two since then that was strong enough-”

“They kissed, remember?” Ginny declared with a small smirk resting on her lips. “He must have used your kiss in Pompeii…If that doesn’t prove his loyalty and show how genuine he is, then I don’t know what will” she jabbed as a friendly reminder of their earlier argument.

“I…am so confounded” Joseph interrupted, completely unaware that the trio had forgotten he was even still in the room.

“It’s a long story” the red-headed Gryffindor smiled without looking away from her flushed friend. “But it all comes down to the fact that Draco really likes Hermione and the magic he used in the woods was definitely not Dark.”

Friday, May 7th, 1999

Harry breathed heavily as he laid on the Library floor in complete disarray. His head was pounding, and his wrists felt like they were on fire. In short, he felt like he had literally just gone through a fist fight and lost. But what concerned the raven-haired boy more than the pain he was afflicted with, was the fact that he had witnessed exactly what Draco was experiencing. He had no idea where the blonde was, but the accent and the language used by the men surrounding the Slytherin, scared the ever-loving piss out of him. However, what scared him more than anything, was the fact that one of the men called Draco…a witch.

“Oh, my Godric, Harry!” Molly yelled as she removed herself from comforting Elizabeth and raced over to The Chosen One who was contemplating what the hell had just happened to him. “Harry are you alright? Can you tell us what you saw?”

Question after question bombarded the Gryffindors' mind; did they know what he just went through? Did they know what was happening to him? However, it wasn’t until he had a moment to collect himself while looking at his arms and sitting back on his heels, that he suddenly remembered what Thorfinn had said about being connected to the Blonde Prince.

“Did…did I just have a vision?” he inquired while breathing heavily. “What the actual fuck Rowle?” he yelled while snapping an irritated gaze to Thorfinn. “You said I might only feel pain if Draco is undergoing any! Not that I would actually retain markings on my body!” he complained before glancing back down at his wrists. But to his bewilderment, the red markings began to slowly fade…almost like they had never even happened.

“I’m not an expert on the damn subject, Potter! I only told you what I could recall from the research I read! It never said anything about receiving physical damage to your body!” the former Death Eater growled.

“Well you were right about the experiencing pain, I’ll give you that, but you were wrong about the visions!”

“What?” Rowle inquired with furrowed brows.

“I was in Draco’s mind!” Harry spat before tightly shutting his eyes and rubbing the bottom of his palms across his forehead to rid the headache he was feeling. “It was like…like I was him! I wasn’t just seeing what he saw! I felt his emotions, I felt his fear…and I felt like the men striking him were actually in front of me hitting me!”

“Wh-what did you see? Are you okay? Is Draco alright?” Narcissa began interrogating before Harry had a second to wrap his mind around everything. “Was my son outed as a witch?”

At that last question, the Gryffindors’ gaze snapped to the blonde, who’s piercing watery blue eyes pleaded with him to lie to her; because if it wasn’t already apparent by the wounds disappearing on his skin, the map had already told them all, Draco was in trouble and he knew the mother couldn’t handle it if he told her the truth. This was nothing like when she asked him if her son was okay in the Forbidden Forest after Voldemort tried to kill him. Because this time her child was not alright.

“I-I…” Harry frowned as he tried not to break down. “Th-they’re in Salem…aren’t they?” Narcissa gasped in horror as she tried not to sob, giving Harry the confirmation, he wished was wrong. “I-I can’t lie to you Mrs. Malfoy…I don’t-I don’t exactly know what happened because there was something over my…his…head, but…it’s bad…it’s really bad.”

Realizing that there were more important things in life now than the animosity the two women shared, Molly released the anger she felt for Narcissa and reached over to pull the witch into her arms; allowing the former Slytherin Queen to cry on her shoulder as she prayed to Merlin, the youngest Malfoy would make it out of the horrible predicament he faced…alive.

However, after a minute of agonizingly watching the blonde howl in anguish in the redheads’ arms, Harry’s arms became increasingly heavy for no apparent reason. Confusion once again filled his mind before he suddenly released a loud gasp and fell forward; his hands barely catching him before he face-planted against the marble floor. The action startled everyone in the room, as his eyes rolled back, and the Slytherin Prince awoke in a darkened room.

Draco wasn’t certain how long he’d been unconscious, but when his good eye finally adjusted to the blackness surrounding him, he found himself tied to a hook suspended from the ceiling as his legs dangled beneath him. A cool breeze washed over his body from the barred window to his right and he deduced that he had been stripped in his unconscious state, down to the shorts he wore under his clothes. Suddenly, screams of pain ripped through what he assumed to be his cell door and reverberated off the stone walls, making him regret ever walking out of the barn. His wrists burned from the strain of being suspended for hours, but as he extended his feet to relieve some of the weight off his arms, he found his toes barely brushed the dirt floor.

Using his remaining senses, he tried his best to take in his surroundings, though whomever had designed the hell hole he had found himself in, clearly didn’t want anyone to see what was coming. The obvious screams and pleas for forgiveness told him he was in the town’s dungeon while the foul odor of blood, feces, and mildew filled the air. He did his best to keep from gagging as he breathed in the stale air, knowing it wouldn’t help matters if he added the acrid smell of vomit to the mix.

Pitter patter of multiple tiny feet and squeaks of rats could be heard moving along the floor to his left and he jumped as he felt the swish of a tail brush his largest toe. Years of being subjected to his father’s cruelty had not prepared him for conditions such as these; in his family they simply Crucio'd you repeatedly until you passed out or begged for forgiveness. Though, torture he could handle but dealing with rats…that was a hard pass for him.

Images of his Aunt standing over him with a slender cat-o-nine tails clutched in her hand as she executed the first of his many punishments for failing the Dark Lord, flitted through his mind, distracting him from the disgusting creatures roaming around the floor as he listened to the screams outside the door. The feel of the leather striking his bare back repeatedly as he tried to contain his screams on the family's Dining Room floor was raw in his mind as he wondered what fate would befall him here and if any of his friends would be able to save him before he perished.

Unwilling to draw attention to himself, he stayed quiet as he stood on his tiptoe in the blackened cell. Breathing through the irritation of the ropes biting into his nearly raw skin he tried not to think about how each breath he took caused excruciating pain to jolt through his broken ribs, or what would happen when they knew he was awake.

While staring blankly ahead he noticed a pale silver light emerging to his right and turned his head, initially fearful of what it could be. He exhaled sharply when he realized it was a small silver Otter shimming through the bars of the window and he instantly recognized it as Hermione’s. Though, he had never actually seen her Patronus in person before, he had heard it was an Otter from plenty of students at school. And it was highly unlikely that anyone else in this era would specifically send him that form of magic with the same animal as the girl he was fancying.

Unfortunately, the Otter left just as quickly as it came but it left him feeling hopeful that his friends were coming for him. Though just as the fatigue in his arms became truly unbearable, a loud cracking of a whip echoed through the hall, pulling his focus from the barred window as the wailing screams, he had heard when he awoke, came to an abrupt halt. Draco froze in place, straining his ears in hopes of determining if the man's agony had ended because his tormentors has stopped or because he had expired.

Silence encompassed him for minutes or possibly even hours as he listened intently for a sign of movement. Before long, boots could be heard walking over stones as a flickering light grew brighter underneath his doorway. His pulse quickened and his breathing became erratic as he internally screamed for them not to open his door.

The fates were clearly not listening to his prayers that day because though he could no longer hear anything beyond the pumping of his heart beating rapidly in his ears, he watched in horror as the handle rattled and the gate swung inward. Two men walked into the room with long handled torches to light their way and by the sounds of their rough voices talking about how much they enjoyed giving the man next door his just dessert, Draco knew they were from the group that had seized him.

“Ah, you be awake…” the man with the overgrown grey beard chuckled with a snarl. “Twas quick…Did those screams awake thee from your lovely slumber?”

Draco remained silent as his mother had taught him to be after Voldemort had taken over their home and recalled her pleas to only answer when the question called for one. Though, the blonde knew the question he was just asked was rhetorical, he wanted undoubtedly to retort a callous remark. But he held his tongue as he was in no position to mouth off when he had no wand and no strength to fight back.

“He wishes to answer you not, John Wallace…” the man who had punched Draco multiple times smirked. “He shows respect not to his elders.”

“Hush now, Samuel. He shall have plenty of time to learn respect once we are through with him.”

“Yes, sir” Samuel sneered wickedly. “How shall thee show him first?”

Taking a step forward, John lit two lamps on the wall to the left of Draco and Samuel did the same on the right, but it was apparent the lanterns were only ever used when workers of the jail were present, putting the blonde Prince at unease.

“Thee Minister wishes proof of this demons abilities, to show the court before hangin as our count be no longer enough evidence of this heathens’ treachery. So, I think we shall start with thee Prayer test…” John chuckled with cruel intent while assuming the prisoner would mess up enough to convict him. Panicking deep within, Draco tried to think about if Hermione had ever told him a prayer of her muggle God when the elder man put his face close to his, forcing the Slytherin to once again inhale the rancid odor of his breath. “Speak thy Lord’s Prayer, witch!”

Draco stared hard at the man as he tried his best to put on his uncaring mask and show no emotion before his signature Malfoy smirk rose to the surface and he spit in the seniors’ face. However, as the bearded man stumbled backwards in disgust while wiping the saliva from his eye, Samuel stormed up to the blonde and quickly punched him in the soft tissue under his left rib cage. Aside from searing pain ripping through his body and the loud groan Draco had released, the Prince was thrilled he had a good aim. But John was not impressed and launched himself at his detainee while gripping the Slytherin wizard around the neck.

“Speak thy Lord’s Prayer, you vile scum, or I shall make sure thee never sees the light of day again!”

After once again staring hard at the burly git, Draco listened to his mothers’ word echoing in his head and tried to think of anything to try and appease the man when he remembered the odd saying Joseph had spoken the night before at dinner and at breakfast. Thanking Salazar, he was smart and had paid attention to the strange lines of the brunette’s words so he could later ask Hermione about what they meant, he began to speak them aloud, hoping it was the one the tormentors were asking for as it was the only one, he could recite off the top of his head.

“Our Father, who art thou in heaven, hallowed be thy name,” he spoke loud and clear with an impish glare, and when the men looked taken aback, he knew then it was the right one, “thy kingdom come; thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil…A…men…” he scowled with a heavy scoff.

“Tis too easy” John spat in a low menacing whisper before shoving the Prince hard in the neck while releasing his grip and backing away.

“Thee Witch’s Mark then!” Samuel bellowed with a snarl.

“We have already searched his body, Samuel…! But thy mind be tellin thee we must resort to more…unyieldin tests…” he grumbled while patting the bull whip holstered against his hip. “Take him down!” he ordered soundly. “We shall take thee to the back room. This Devil Spawn will need a bit of…cooling off when I am through with him…”

XX

Hunched over a wooden block with his hands bound together in iron rings, Draco wailed as the black braided leather cracked across his back for a sixth time, overlapping preceding lashes that lay open upon his bare skin. He tried not to cry as the wounds burned in agony and his muscles spasmed out of control, causing him to unwillingly soil the white linen drawers he was dressed in. He had been whipped before, though never hard enough to make him bleed as Bellatrix still had a faintest amount of care for her own flesh and blood, and he knew the wounds would later scar no matter how many healing potions he used.

Embarrassed and weakened, he tried to keep his focus on the fact that his friends were coming for him at the forefront of his mind, while doing his best to block out the numbing pain he was enduring as another sharp bite of the whip cut across his left arm. Clenching his fists so tightly his knuckles went white, Draco began to weep in desolation as the smell of urine filled the small chamber, causing the men to briefly stop the heartbreaking torment and laugh at the tragic mess before them.

“I do believe he has soiled himself, sir!” Samuel howled as he walked up to Draco, leaned down and sniffed the air around the blonde, before he stood with a heartless snicker. “Tis another one to mark down! Shall we give him a wash?”

“Pray thy God, I think he needs one!” John replied as he gripped the Slytherins’ hair on the back of his head and pulled his face back. “Worthless vermin” he spat before shoving the Prince’s head down and uncuffing him from the blood covered block he rested upon. Lifting their prisoner to his feet with his thick callous hands, Draco almost slipped on his own blood splayed across the floor as John forced him over a large barrel and grasped the back of his neck hard. “Filthy witch!” he claimed before dunking the wizards’ face into the polluted water.

Harry, still in the vision that lasted hours to him, but was mere minutes for everyone else, expelled water from his mouth that came from nowhere while a crying Pansy and Luna trembled in horror. The girls continued to place cool wet cloths upon the Gryffindors’ now bare back, after Thorfinn had ripped the blood-soaked shirt from the raven-haired boy, as he sobbed in agony on his hands and knees.

Molly and Elizabeth held Narcissa, who was beyond comforting, as she bawled her eyes out and Ron held Harrys’ head firmly so it wouldn’t hit the ground during his convulsions. Neville sat on the floor of the stage with his head in his hands, weeping while rocking back and forth with Theo doing his best to comfort him even though he himself wanted to break down. Rowle continued to try and heal every lash the raven-haired boy obtained to no avail because the wounds kept reappearing no matter what he did. But he wasn’t giving up hope that the abuse that was occurring in Salem would end soon.

The blonde gasped for breath as rivulets of water streamed from the pointed tips of his hair and down the soiled drawers he wore. He'd choked on the brackish water after the third time and was barely given an extra minute to expel the liquid from his lungs before being forced back in. Though as he was pulled up from the water again, Draco realized in that moment, the man was a master sadist as he obviously timed his victims to make certain they would neither die nor collapse while he held them under. After allowing the prisoner to gather his breath once more, watching as water and blood dripped down his pale body and pool at his feet, the Slytherin Prince began laughing as he neared his breaking point.

But even though he felt like giving the men the confession they desired, he was too stubborn to appease the wretched muggles and firmly held his tongue. They might be ruthless fiends, but they failed in comparison to his perverse Aunt or even Voldemort himself who would have tried to break into his mind. And the torture they subjected him to, had nothing on the Cruciatus Curses he was exposed to after protecting the Gryffindor Princess in his family manor. Though, he swore to himself that once his suffering was over, he would kill the two men who dared cross a Malfoy.

“Thee Devil be showin, John Wallace!” Samuel claimed while tilting his head so close to Draco’s face, the blonde was tempted to headbutt him right in the nose. “I think he be ready to confess his sins…”

But Draco just continued to laugh before his lips fell to a scowl and he glared the sandy-haired cretin directly in the eye.

“I’m…going…to kill…you both…” he chuckled. “And if I don’t…Hermione…will…” he asserted through deep heaving exhales.

“You mean thy friends who have already left our blessed town?” John challenged, making Draco look to the man in animosity. “Everyone be lookin for them…though it seems they left your diseased filth behind…Good riddance, I say…” the bearded man grinned while a reluctant frown befell the Prince’s lips as he took in what was being said to him.

“You’re lying!” he yelled bitterly knowing his friends would never leave him behind. Although, he strongly wondered why he hadn’t been rescued yet. Hermione had broken into an impenetrable Gringotts with her two dolt friends, surely, she could break into a muggle jail easily enough. But then why hadn’t she come?

“If he be a liar...then why have they not saved thee yet?” Samuel leered before gripping Draco by the hair. “No one…be comin to save you…or your soul, son of Satan!” he claimed before dunking the Prince once more, almost suffocating him in the process.

Falling against the wall in the narrow hallway as the men returned him to his cell hours later, Draco tried to steady himself as he winced from the excruciating pain and felt tears wet his face. The sharp bite of the whip cut across his calves as the hate-filled grey bearded man bellowed at him to keep moving. He hobbled further down the hall a few steps before an uncontrollable whimper tore from his throat. Both his back and arms were on fire from being beaten and overstretched in odd positions and he could feel his wounds opening further as he stumbled forward. Each step he took his bleeding flesh ripped further open as his legs nearly buckled beneath his weight.

The Malfoy heir made it about halfway down the hall before collapsing on the grungy floor, never once feeling the rat skitter from beneath his crumpled frame due to the searing pain riddling his body. As he laid motionless upon the ground John had taken pleasure in whipping his arms and shoulders further before picking him up and throwing him into the dirty chamber. But as Draco crashed to the hard-stone floor, both he and Harry screamed in agony as they felt his left hip dislocate from its socket, causing the blonde to black out from the stress of the injury.

Salem, July of 1692

“Open this door, Joseph Hamman! We know those witches have stay on this land!” a loud man hollered just outside the two-story wooden dwelling.

Joseph calmly opened the front entryway to see about a dozen men standing on his property with torches in their hands.

“I bare no witches here, Reverend Parris” he sneered with a small scoff as he crossed his arms and stood in the frame of the entrance. “What you seek has no place in thy home.”

“He be lyin!” someone in the back of the crowd shouted before the Minister quickly hushed him without taking his eyes off the brunette.

“Prove thee innocence then. Show us you shelter no Devil worshipers who afflict our children with curses!”

“Why should I allow thee into thy home as proof? You only take thee mere word of children to accuse someone of witchcraft before hangin them. Is thy word not as good as they?” he scoffed once more when the Reverend appeared to not be able to answer. “What is to become of the prisoner you have unjustly accused? For he showed no signs of witchcraft when he and his fellows stayed the night before departin up North. And thy daughter has shown no signs of affliction.”

“Do not be so blasphemous, Joseph Hamman. Tis not for you to judge those of the wicked.”

“Tis not for you to judge either…Though I am a righteous man, and I will allow you and only you to search thy farm for the people who have already left.”

“He be foolish, Reverend! He wish to trap thee!” the same man before yelled, causing the rest of the mob to agree and contend the brunettes’ demand.

“Enough!” Parris shouted, forcing the crowd to scowl as they murmured incoherent things under their breaths. “Thy God be on thy side and I shall be just fine. Though curiosity does make thee wonder why you will not allow this search to go much faster by allowin more to help thee?”

“You want more?” Joseph jeered. “Fine. But seein as I have paid good money for the land I own and pay plentiful to allow you to live in that beautiful house of yours, I will allow only two men to accompany you. Anymore, and I shall write to thee King himself about your thievin ways. And if you shall argue against thee and arrest thy daughter and I, I will have you know that the group you seek will have your head on a spike if they find news of my demise. And if they be witches of Satan, they shall have no dilemma in tellin the King; for their ravens are much faster than your ships.”

Reverend Parris’s face turned red as he clenched his fists in anger at his sides, but quickly corrected his features while taking in a deep breath.

“So be it, Joseph…But if I find evidence that you be harborin demons, not even thy King can save you.”

Chuckling with a small grin resting upon his lips, Joseph uncrossed his arms and stepped to the side to allow the Minister and two judges into his home. The members of the court quickly made their way to the living room as Reverend Parris scowled at the brunette before stepping into the kitchen and glancing around. However, in his search as he looked under the table, in the fireplace, which made Joseph almost burst out in laughter at the stupidity of the man, and in a pantry-like closet just to the left of the hearth, the Minister made sure to leave a mess behind in spite of the single father.

“There be no one here” the brunette muggle claimed while once again crossing his arms as he leaned against the wall feeling completely indifferent to the disarray thrusted upon his kitchen.

“In thee barn then” Parris stated strongly before stepping out the back door and marching down to the animal housing as the two men finished searching the bottom level and began making their way upstairs.

As both Joseph and the Revered entered the barn, Julia stopped feeding grains to the black Stallion before her and looked to her father.

“Minister Parris!” she exclaimed excitingly. “Has thee come to see Isaiah run? He be a fast horse now. I was just about to take him for a ride. Would you care to join? I am sure Isabel would love to get out as well” she smiled cheerfully as she pointed to the light-brown mare Draco had pet earlier.

“Nay, child. I am here on official business. Though tis a beautiful horse. When did thee obtain such a fine steed?” he inquired while glancing at the four cattle grazing in their stalls.

Julia raised a brow in confusion as the black Stallion lightly nudged her ear.

“Isaiah? Minister, we have owned him for no more than a year and a half. Thy mother always wanted a black horse, so father had found him to honor her. He has broken Isaiah in himself. You do remember not?”

“Aye…” he answered softly in embarrassment before the sounds of two chickens fighting behind him grabbed his attention.

“O, nay!” Julia sulked as she stormed up to the chickens pecking each other and picked one up. “Mary Lou always be teasin Mary. I suspect she do not like that their names are similar” she grinned while gently petting the breast of the hen in her arms before looking up at the confused Reverend.

“Is thee going to search now?” Joseph cut in in annoyance. “Tis almost supper time, Minister.”

“Aye!” Parris declared with a wave of his hand before beginning his search throughout the shed. However, after finding no one in the barn, he released an angry growl and exhaled a deep breath.

“I told thee, they left already.”

“One was engaged to the prisoner! How would they leave without him?”

“Simple…” the single father began while clicking his tongue against the inside of his cheek and placing his hand in his pockets. “She did not really love him and was forced into the engagement. She and her cousin took their hired guard and headed up North in hopes to find a man not condemned of witchcraft…Are we finished now? Because the night be late.”

“He will get no trial if proof of his treason is found.”

“What?” Joseph questioned in bewilderment.

“You inquired earlier what is to become of the prisoner. There be no one around to fight for him so I see no reason to tell thee not. He will confess by nights end and he will hang come midday. John Wallace be personally seeing to his…confession.”

“I see…” the brunette claimed while swallowing the bile rising in his throat, knowing full well how sadistic the elder man was. “Very well. If he confesses, then there shall be no argument about his accusation. And may the Lord have mercy on his soul.” Albeit unbeknownst to Joseph, the Reverend was not going to await admission from Draco. He would do what he had done to his former slave Tituba and force an early admittance. But if Draco refused, he would deceive the court to make sure the wizard, who was caught red handed, was hung.

Reverend Parris scoffed slightly before walking out of the barn and up past the house. The two judges who had found nothing in the home, quickly followed the Puritan man as they made their way to the Jail to inform the ‘workers’ of the groups disappearance. After waiting roughly ten long minutes to make sure the man was really gone, Hermione removed the disillusioning spell from her body and climbed out from behind the hay bales. She then quickly pointed her wand at the fourth cow near the end of the shed and flicked her wrist, turning Ginny back into a human.

“What the hell did he say?” she demanded while brushing dirt from her apron and opening the stall door in outrage. “Did he just say Draco won’t even get a trial?”

However, before she could answer, the black Stallion snorted in an effort to gain the attention of the people in the barn.

“Shite, right!” Hermione stated with a hand to her forehead before turning towards Julia and flicking her wrist at the hen in her hands.

Blaise fell to the ground with an obvious grimace across his face before standing up and brushing the hay from his clothing.

“A chicken, Hermione? A bloody chicken? You couldn’t have turned me into anything else? Any other animal? That Mary Lou is a feisty little shite! She’s lucky my beak was not as sharp as hers!”

“Sorry, Blaise” the bookworm sighed as she tucked her wand back into her bag. “There were already too many large animals in the barn.”

“Can we get back to Draco not getting a trial?” the redhead ordered while charming her shoe clean of the cow dung she had stepped in.

“You cannot get him tonight…” Joseph answered. “Tis too risky. You will be seen. I do not think thee Minister believed thy lies and will place more men around the jail. He would not have told thee of Draco’s fate if he had accepted thy false tale.”

“So, we have to let him rot in that prison?” Hermione bemoaned. “To be what, tortured by that Wallace man? I-I can’t do that. I can’t leave him there.”

“We don’t seem to have a choice, Mione” Ginny stated in regret.

“I broke into the most dangerous and most impervious Wizarding bank in all of England to get that damn cup from Bellatrixs’ vault, Ginny! Me! Breaking into that puny jail should be a walk in the park! We can’t leave him in there!”

“If you want to mess with the past, Hermione, more than we already have, than have at it!” the redhead argued as her magic sparked. “But keep in mind you’re the one who told Harry third year that bad things happen to wizards who meddle with time! This is no exception! We’ll have to find another way to save Draco that doesn’t involve us getting caught, using magic in front of everyone, or worse, his potential death!”

“Look, I want to save Draco just as much as you do, Buttercup. But we’re going to have to wait until morning…when he’s not in that building. We need to stop and think of a plan before just rushing in there otherwise we could all be in trouble. You are the smartest of all of us…I know you can come up with something.”

“But how?” Julia chimed in as she stood next to her father. “How are thee goin to save him?”

Hermione raised her eyes to the ceiling while biting her bottom lip as she tried to rein in her overwhelming fear before lowering her gaze to a candle resting on a post near the entrance to the barn. As she studied the flickering flame while trying to think of a way to save the man who was struggling just to survive as they chatted, she watched the black line of smoke dance above the fire as the group surrounding her tried to come up with a plan.

Though as the fumes rose into the air and the brunette witch continued to watch, her head stopped bobbing up and down as an idea began to form in her mind, and her mouth slightly parted.

“I need Potassium Nitrate…and sugar…” she uttered while still staring at the curling black smoke, causing everyone to stop talking and look to her in confusion. “A lot of it…”

“What the bloody hell is Potassium Nitrate?” Blaise inquired with furrowed brows.

“Gun powder” Hermione answered as she flicked her gaze to the floor. “Everything else I need I can transfigure from items around the barn or-or the house” she claimed, though it seemed as if she was talking more to herself than the four people around her.

“And what pray tell are we making with gun powder a-and sugar?” Ginny questioned; her interest now peaked but perplexity still ran through her mind.

The Gryffindor Princess raised her eyes to the group as a small smile began to spread across her lips.

“Smoke Bombs.”

XX

Draco laid curled in a half ball on the floor of the dark and cold cell as his left leg grew numb after he had used the last of his strength to fail at magically popping his hip back into place. Though it was the middle of the summer, cold air surrounded him in the stone prison walls, seeping deep beneath his abused skin.

Shivering as tears continued to wet his face and water from his punishment soaked his body, the blonde silently cried through the night as thoughts of his impending death filled his mind. He had thought by now that Hermione, or even Blaise, would have come to save him…especially after seeing the Patronus flutter through the small barred window of his cell. However, as he laid broken on the floor, he began to think he had hallucinated the Otter. It wasn’t like he could really see anyway as his left eye was swelled shut and the idea of being accused of witchcraft caused him to imagine the animal of the girl, he thought had cared for him.

But as the hours ticked by and the sun slowly began to creep its way into the chamber, he began to believe that John was right, and that his friends really had left him to die. Though death no longer scared him as he continued to hold himself in an effort to keep warm, and he realized…no one was coming.

The brightest witch of their age could break in to Gringotts filled with powerful spells, a Dragon that guarded the most secure vaults, and Goblins around every turn, but she couldn’t save him from muggles. At that point, Draco didn’t know if he was beginning to give up hope because of the torture he had been subjected to, or if it was because the girl, he had cared so much for, more than even his own self, left him. And he honestly didn’t know what hurt more; his body riddled with wounds from the countless whips that ripped through his skin, the fractured bones in his ribs, and the endless blows to his face…or his broken heart.

Biting his lower lip as a small whimper escaped his throat, the Slytherin Prince, who was considered the muscle of the group, the protector of the fallen, and the defender of his friends, tilted his chin into his chest as he sobbed uncontrollably, and gave up. Understanding now, that no one had truly cared for him and he was left with no choice, but to accept death come mid-day when he would hang at Proctor’s Ledge for being something…he could never change.


	13. Sweet Dreams

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **A/N: Sooo, you’re getting this chapter early because I won’t be home to post it later tonight so I hope you are all okay with that…I’m guessing you will be haha! Anyway, this chapter does have a song for it, or at least one that had inspired me and every time I hear it, I think of scenes in this chapter that are about to happen. If you would like to envision what I was imagining, then take a listen, preferably after you have read the chapter as it plays better when things are in ‘slow motion’ lol. If not, totally understandable. Though I will say that without the song, I wouldn’t have come up with this chapter or era for that matter so a huge thanks to the movie Sucker Punch for introducing me to this version and for rousing my brain to think of Salem and what to do in it.**   
**Song: Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)- Emily Browning version**

_“You're on your own now, We won't save you,, Your rescue squad, Is too exhausted”_ -Army of Me- Bjork

Chapter 13- Sweet Dreams

Friday, May 7th, 1999

“I-is he-he dead?” Narcissa questioned as she stood above Harry who had just yelled out in excruciating pain once again when his hip popped back into place and he lay motionless on the Library floor. “Oh, Gods! Is my son dead?” she wailed as she fell to her knees with a hand clasped against her chest.

Elizabeth quickly embraced the Slytherin witch as Molly and the five students watched Thorfinn check the Chosen One for a pulse. The seconds felt like days as everyone waited, stared, and prayed to any God that would listen, with anxiety filling their hearts and minds. Rowle pressed two of his fingers against Harry’s jugular but before he could say if the Golden Boy was alive or not, the remaining wounds covering the Gryffindor’s body, began to heal. He then noticed the faint pulse beating in The-Boy-Who-Liveds’ neck was strengthening and quickly rolled him onto his back before picking him up bridal style.

Pansy and Luna realized then that Harry was indeed alive and rushed to clear the books and papers off the desk the former Death Eater was making his way to, before he laid Harry down.

“Molly! Do you still have Calming Draughts in your bag?” Thorfinn inquired while removing Harry’s glasses, that had somehow managed to stay on through his entire ordeal.

“Yes!”

“Good! Grab them and bring them here!” Rowle demanded as he looked down at the color slowly returning to the Chosen Ones’ complexion. “I have a strong feeling he is going to need them when he wakes up.”

Molly didn’t hesitate to remove herself from where she stood frozen and reached into her bag for the Draughts that were requested of her. Though as soon as she attained the small vials, Harry awoke in a panic and began flailing about on the table. Ron quickly jumped in to help Thorfinn pin Harry to the table, as he was thrashing about and screaming wildly while tears slid down his face.

“GET OFF ME! GET OFF ME!” he roared while trying to fight Rowle. “I DID NOTHING WRONG! I AM NO WITCH!”

“Molly, the Draughts! Now!”

The redhead raced over with two vials in her hands. Popping the stopper off of one, she reluctantly poured the potion down Harry’s throat as Ron and Thorfinn held the Chosen One firmly to the table. The former Death Eater than pulled Harry into a hug as the raven-haired boy began to weep.

“You’re okay, Potter” he shushed calmly while looking up to Molly before glancing to Narcissa who breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that if Harry was okay then so was Draco. “It’s going to be alright, boy. You’re okay.”

Harry continued to sob into the ex-Death Eaters chest, who was rocking him side to side, before Rowle urged the mother Weasley to give him another potion as the first one clearly wasn’t strong enough. She did as she was told, and after a few seconds Harry finally stilled, allowing his breathing to revert back to normal. Releasing his hold before looking the Gryffindor Prince over to make sure all his wounds were healed, Thorfinn gazed into Harry’s eyes and asked him what he had seen.

However, the boy simply stared unseeingly through him as Pansy held tightly to his hand. Theo noticed the action but didn’t say a word as his heart broke for not only his schoolmate, who was undergoing eminence misery because of him, but for himself as well as his world came crashing down around him.

“Is…is Draco…is he alright?” Narcissa pleaded while Elizabeth warily watched her, hoping she would be okay.

Silence engulfed the room as Harry continued to stare ahead of him, processing the entire night he had gone through, that was less than an hour to the people in the present. Narcissa opened her mouth to ask him again when she was suddenly cut off by his soft voice.

“No…” he spoke low, but his meaning was heard loud and clear.

“D-did he escape?”

“Is he going to be alright?”

“Where is he?”

“What happened?”

The questions from everyone in the room began to cause a headache to form in the young Gryffindors’ temples as they continued to bombard him, making him feel like he was being interrogated by the Wizengamot. But it wasn’t until he heard the eldest Malfoy, who had stayed silent during the inquiry as she waited in sorrow for him to answer, ask if Draco was dying, that the room instantly grew quiet once more.

“They’re going to hang him…He-he won’t even get a trial before hand…He’s going to hang and…and they just left…” he flickered his gaze to Narcissa who looked so broken that Harry wished he could lie to her; to tell her anything to make her feel better in hopes everything might work out in the end. However, he knew he couldn’t. The Malfoy witch deserved to know the truth…no matter how much it hurt. “They left him…alone…to die.”

“Who, Harry?” Ron questioned with worry dripping from him quivering lip. “Who left him?”

But Harry simply gazed down at his hands as he thought about the emotions he had felt radiating from the Slytherins body, before incoherently mumbling as if no one had just spoken to him.

“Where the hell was everyone…?” he asked aloud, though more to himself than anyone else, before looking up to Thorfinn still standing to the side of him. “Where the hell was Hermione?”

Salem, August 1st, 1692

“Is this how it’s supposed to look?” Ginny inquired as she stirred the gun powder Joseph had obtained for the group, with sugar over low heat like Hermione had instructed.

They were all working on very little sleep as they had stayed up most of the night preparing a soundproof plan to save Draco. Ginny wanted to be absolutely certain she had heard her friend correctly, so she didn’t ruin the gunpowder the brunette father had stolen from a few neighbors as they slept in their homes; careful not to take too much to be noticeable from each house.

The curly-haired witch set the straw she had transfigured from hay down on to the table and walked over to the fireplace in the kitchen to check on the redheads’ work. Blaise continued to stuff converted matches into a few straws as Julia and Joseph excitedly made pull rings with strikers. The pair had never seen half of the objects splayed out in front of them, but once Hermione had showed them what to do with each item, they readily accepted the task of learning.

“Just a little longer, Gin. You want to caramelize the sugar and only stop when the mixture is liquefied.”

“Got it!”

Hermione then summoned six glass cylinder bottles that laid on the counter and began preparing them with the melted liquid. Sticking transfigured pens into each one, she charmed the bottles to cool so they didn’t have to wait an hour for the mixture to set. Once everything was ready, the guys began to add the strikers and round metal pull pins to the top of each straw, secured with paperclips and rubber bands, before the girls replaced the pens with the makeshift fuse and taped the containers closed; only leaving a small hole at the top to protect their hands from the heat when the smoke bomb would go off.

“These are amazing, Buttercup!” Blaise exclaimed with a wide grin as he examined one of the containers. “Where did you learn to make these?”

“A muggle boy, actually” Hermione replied with flushed cheeks. “We uh-we dated over the summer after Ron and I broke up and he was very into science. Him and his friends used to make them, usually with color though, to entertain children around my parents’ neighborhood.”

“They’re bloody brilliant!”

Hermione smirked as she began to clean up the kitchen with a flick of her wand while thinking about the boy she had lost her virginity to, just a year ago. It wasn’t the best sex she had ever had with him and although he was very sweet and extremely kind, he wasn’t the gentlest when it came to de-flowering her. They had tried a few times afterwards, but she was always left unsatisfied and resorted to pleasuring herself once he was finished. They didn’t last long after that, not that they would have as she had decided to go back to Hogwarts to finish her schooling and told him she was going to some college in Germany in order to break it off with him. He took the news rather well and both chose to remain friends. However, the last letter she’d received from her parents had informed her that he’d found himself a new girlfriend he was over the moon in love with.

She was happy for him but the idea of being alone now settled in the pit of her stomach and she wished she could take back the fight she had with Draco. She knew she kept pushing him away because of fear and logic, and in the end all it did was make her feel exceptionally empty. So. She promised herself right then and there that once they saved the Prince from impending death, she would follow Ginny’s advice and listen to her heart…rather than her head. And her heart was telling her it wanted him.

“So…” Ginny began, cutting through the forlorn thoughts of the Gryffindor Princess as she began handing out two smoke bombs a piece to Blaise and Hermione, “who’s going to apparate him out? It has to be someone who landed near him when we arrived.”

“I’ll do it” Blaise claimed as he rolled up his sleeves to his elbows.

“You can’t…” the bookworm stated, knowing the Italian spawned the furthest away. “You both arrived about a half a mile from us…I was only a few meters from him. I have to be the one to do it.”

“Are you sure, Mione?” Ginny inquired in concern.

“I’m sure. Plus, you’re supposed to be the distraction, Gin. And seeing as I now have to grab Draco, I can’t ride Isabel. We need to rethink our plan a bit.”

“Do you need thy help?” Joseph questioned while shifting from foot to foot nervously.

Biting her lower lip as she thought of a new plan, Hermione glanced to the floor as an idea came to her.

“No, we need you here in case we have to come back. Julia can still meet us with Isaiah and Isabel at the jail, Ginny, you can still be the distraction carrying the faux body and Blaise…you take Isabel and help confuse people once the smoke bombs go off” she stipulated as she paced the length of the kitchen table. “Once the path is clear and everyone is looking away, I’ll grab Draco and apparate him back to the woods. We don’t know his condition, just that he was hit a few times before being captured, so for all we know he could be dazed. We’ll have to be quick. After you evade the guards, you both can meet me where we landed, and we can go from there. Sound good?”

Everyone nodded in agreement as Joseph looked out the kitchen window and into the greyed-out town when he heard sounds of people happily walking past his house.

“They be headin to Proctor’s Ledge…you need to get goin” the brunette muggle claimed despondently as the rain clouds above them slowly opened up; drizzling just enough that the group could now wear hooded cloaks without drawing attention. “They will be movin him soon.”

After collecting everything needed to save the blonde Prince, who they had no idea was in much worse condition then they thought, Hermione, Blaise, and Ginny began to say their goodbyes to Joseph before exiting the house.

“I don’t-I don’t know how we can ever thank you for helping us…” the Golden Girl began as she pulled Joseph into a hug before slowly backing up. “I know we threw a lot of information on you that we probably shouldn’t have-”

“My daughter and I’s lips are sealed, Hermione Granger. God as thy witness I promise you, we will never speak of what you have taught us nor what you have shown us.”

“We know…” she bit her bottom lip as she smiled softly. “But…thank you.”

“You are most welcome. And thank ye…for helping thee right thy path with the Lord and see that there be good in this world” he grinned before looking to Blaise who reached out to shake his hand. However, when he turned to Ginny who pulled him in a warm hug, Joseph gulped as he took in her wondrous scent. “I…I-” he began to mumble when she pulled away from him and Hermione and Blaise moved to stand on the front porch. “Uh…I-I wish you would stay…Julia h-has taken a likin to y-you…” he claimed tenderly.

“She’s a sweet girl” Ginny shrugged as she glanced to the floor for a brief moment. “You tell her I said that, okay?”

“I shall…” the redhead turned to leave but was suddenly pulled back and found herself staring deep into the brunettes’ delicate brown eyes. “If-if things were different…” he began while tucking a stray hair affectionately behind her ear, making her freeze in confusion. “If you could stay…a-and we had more time to-to get to know each other…could…could you ever see us together? I-I know you are not from this time but…you are thee only woman who has stirred…somethin inside of thee since thy wife’s passin. I never knew if I could love again but you, Ginny Weasley, you have found a way into thy heart and I cannot shake you.”

Too stunned to move and too shocked to breath, Ginny stared wide eyed at Joseph, completely dumbfounded. She knew the man had liked her more than her friends, but never did she think he fancied her as a future wife.

“I-I-I-I…” she stuttered as Hermione and Blaise waited impatiently outside for her. “You-you’re kind, Joseph a-and very handsome, but…I-I already belong to another.” His lips fell to a frown and the redhead instantly felt terrible for turning him down. “Please understand…” she pleaded while taking one of his hands into both of her own. “You deserve someone from your own time, someone more fitting to be a wife a-and a mother. I’m not ready f-for that sort of commitment. I’m still trying to figure myself out. Though, I know your God has someone waiting for you and I hope…I hope that being able to open your heart as you have now, will help you in your journey to find her.” She quickly leaned in and placed a gentle kiss upon his cheek before stepping back and releasing his hand. “You will find her, Joseph…I know you will.”

Smiling softly, Ginny lifted the hood to her dark brown cloak and bowed her head before walking away; leaving a brokenhearted Joseph, to carefully think over her words as he watched the three magical people drift out of his life.

As the trio covertly made their way through the wet town, avoiding as many people as they could, they paused halfway to the jail when a roar of laughter was heard a few blocks ahead of them. Quickly making their way forward, so they could see what had caught everyone’s attention, the three wizards nearly stumbled at the sight before them as their breaths caught in their throats. Hermione unconsciously grabbed Ginny’s’ arm as tears began to brew in her soft brown eyes. None of them could look away as Draco knelt awkwardly on a wooden cart, pulled by a single brown horse, with his head hung low while the men surrounding him assessed a broken wheel on the topless wagon.

They could see obvious signs of wounds covering his pale bare torso as blood mixed with saliva, dripped from his mouth and his blonde hair lay limp in front of his face. His breathing was ragged, and it was apparent he couldn’t see them even if he wanted to. However, the sound of giggling and shushing pulled the stunned group from their dismayed gazes to see five girls running into an alley to get a better look at the wizard that was about to be hung.

A dangerous mixture of sadness, disgust, fear, and anger filled Hermione’s mind and before Ginny or Blaise could stop her, she stormed over to the narrow passage with her wand at the ready. The five adolescents continued to snicker without realizing a very pissed off witch, was following them. However, their snickering was sort lived and they suddenly found themselves falling to the ground as they ran into an invisible force. Startled from the impact, they scrambled to their feet and looked around. Though it wasn’t until Betty Parris, the youngest of the group, turned around to see an enraged Hermione with a long stick held out in front of her.

Her small yelp caused the remaining four girls to turn in surprise and gasp when both Ginny and Blaise stepped up next to the heavily breathing brunette. Although, none of them knew the witch only wanted one of them. They all backed away slowly but couldn’t run as their backs pressed up against the unseen wall behind them. Nevertheless, they all feared for their lives.

“WITCH! WITCH!” Mercy Lewis shouted. However, Blaise quickly flicked his wrist, silencing the girl before pinning all but Ann Putnam against the barricade.

“I knew it! I knew you be a witch, just like that filth, Draco Malfoy!” Ann screamed with a tight scowl resting on her pretty little face.

“Filth?” the bookworm questioned in sarcasm. “Wasn’t it just last night you were dying to be his new bride…?”

“That was before I saw thee Devil’s work conjured by his hand! I thought I was doin you a favor by turnin him in, but you are just the same! You’re a witch and I’m tellin! WITCH! Satan’s witch, Satan’s witch, Satan’s wit-”

Yet the raven-haired youth never finish her chant as Ginny stormed up to her and solidly punched her in the face, forcing her to the ground as tears filled her eyes and blood pooled from of her nose.

“You should be bloody grateful you turned Draco in instead of Hermione!” the red-headed Gryffindor snarled. “Because if you had accused her before trying to out us all, he would have killed you and this pathetic excuse for a village, instantly, you daft little shite! You’re lucky I don’t kill you now!” Ann scrambled backwards as she tried to get away from Ginny, but the redhead was dead set on scaring the girl with every inch of her being. “He is my friend! The one who taught me how to punch; taught me to defend myself! The one who protected me when I didn’t even think I needed him! You will pay for what you have done, you worthless wench!”

Blaise looked back at his girl with a raised brow as Hermione momentarily stared at her friend in confusion. Though she never once thought that the hatred spewing from her best friends’ lips was unwarranted and scoffed lightly in amusement. But as the curly-haired witch raised her wand to obliviate the girl, two men who had heard the screams of the child, came running into the alleyway. Although they stopped short when they saw Ann on the ground and two women with sticks in their hands hovering over her.

But before either man could take a step forward, Hermione picked Ann up from the ground and stood behind her with her wand pressing up against the neck of the ‘afflicted’ accuser. She didn’t know who the men were, but she knew she needed to put the wretched child between them before she could erase the memories of every muggle surrounding her and her friends.

“You came back…” the oldest man with a dark-grey overgrown beard claimed when he recognized the three students before him. “You must be most brave to return…Everyone be lookin for you, but it seems we shall gain the reward of capturin thee…”

“Stay back!” Ginny yelled while training her Yew wood wand in front of her. “Hermione, obliviate them” she whispered, though it was loud enough for the men to hear.

“Hermione eh? Samuel, I do believe we found thee girl our prisoner was speaking of.”

“Do thy eyes deceive thee, John, or does this…little woman appear to be too small to kill us like that weak demon claimed?” Samuel chuckled. “Maybe we shall do to her what have done to her pathetic fiancé?”

“I do believe she would make the most blessed of screams as we whip her back and make her soil theeself as she cries out for mercy like that yellow-haired witch” John boasted, causing Hermione to tilt her head as she came to the understanding that these were the men responsible for hurting Draco, the ones Joseph had warned them all about.

“What-did you do-to him?” she questioned with narrow brows as her blood began to boil in animosity. She had never been so angry in her entire life, not even when Ron had left her and Harry during their hunt for Horcruxes, or even when Rita Skeeter told false tales about her. Though, before she decided to do anything, she wanted to hear exactly what the men before her did to the man she saw completely broken and battered just a few minutes ago. “What did you do?”

“What did we do not?” Samuel chortled as John crossed his arms in front of him and smirked mischievously.

“You want to know, little girl? I will tell thee.”

As John began to explain, cruelly, the punishment they bestowed upon the blonde Prince, something inside Hermione snapped as she glanced down at the girl struggling in her arms before slowly raising her sadistic eyes to the scum laughing about the torture they had delivered and now wished to apply to the rest of Draco’s group. Leaning down, without removing her hate filled glare from the daft bastards, she began to utter into Ann’s ear, loud enough for all to hear, as all sense of control…left her.

“And Jesus said unto them, ‘do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgement…’ You want to accuse those of being Satan’s witches…murder them because you don’t like them or because they’re…different…You haven’t seen the Devil’s work; you haven’t seen what I’m capable of…But don’t worry…I’m about to show you…”

“Mione?” Ginny stated as she and Blaise worriedly looked to the bookworm seething with anger; an anger the redhead had never seen upon her best friends’ face before. An anger…that showed just how willing the Golden Girl was to injure anyone and everyone, standing in her way.

But Hermione Granger…was long past listening.

Slowly raising her wand, she pointed it at John who raised a brow before beginning to laugh like a savage who thought he was above everyone. Like a crude villain who reminded Hermione too much of Voldemort.

“What you gone do with that, little miss? Kill thee?” he roared in amusement as Samuel hunched over in a fit of hilarity. However, neither men saw the evil smirk forming on the Gryffindor Princess’s lips as her eyes grew preternaturally dark. Her magic began to crackle through her hair and across her palms, startling Ann and causing the girl to yelp at the shock, forcing the two men to glance at her with wide eyes.

“Yes…” she claimed adamantly before flicking her wrist, sending Samuel flying against the wall to her left, pinning him there, and causing astound surprise to radiate from both men’s faces.

“Hermione, no!” Blaise called out while John stumbled backwards, and Samuel shouted ‘witch’ over and over again. But the older Puritan never had a chance to speak or even run away before Hermione slashed her Vinewood wand through the air at a speed so fast, neither of her friends could halt her movements.

“Sectumsempra!” she hissed menacingly, forcing a bright white light to shoot from the tip and slice across the elders’ pectoral muscles. As her friends choked on their gasps while their jaws fell open in horror, Ann and the rest of her gangs’ eyes widened in terror as John fell to the ground sobbing in pain while clawing at his blood-soaked chest as multiple lacerations appeared on his torso. Samuel howled in a dreadful panic as Hermione threw the raven-haired girl in her arms to Ginny, walked up to the bearded man on the ground, and crouched down while biting her bottom lip. Looking past him while resting her arms on her thighs while her two friends stood in utter alarm, the no longer innocent Golden Girl turned her gaze to the man bleeding out into the dark dirt beneath him with a placid expression resting on her features. “There is a special place in Hell for people like you…And now you’ll get to see it for yourself…” she sighed with an extremely light chuckle. “Draco told you I would kill you…” she declared in a tone so eerie it would make even Bellatrix shiver in fear, “you should have listened…”

Slowly standing up, Hermione stepped over John, breathing erratically as his life drained from his body, before snapping her wand at Samuel, breaking his neck, and allowing him to slump to the ground, with absolutely no remorse for what she had just done.

“What…wh-what did you just do?” Ginny questioned completely stunned while still holding on to Ann so she couldn’t run away, and Blaise lowered his wand holding the remaining four girls in place.

Hermione glanced at the scared young teens before turning her attention to the raven-haired child struggling to free herself from the arms that bound her. She knew she should obliviated the girls but something inside her was now saying differently. She wanted them to remember what she did; she wanted them to remember because if they didn’t, after everything they went through, they would stop accusing people and that would royally mess with the present. She hated that she had to let things continue to play out the way they were supposed to. She just hoped the two murders that now stained her hands, didn’t affect the future and prayed that the men were going to die anyway like the people Draco and Blaise had slain since they began their journey.

Walking up to Ann with narrowed brows and a set glare of hatred planted in her almost black eyes, she stared the girl down as the raven-haired muggle trembled with a small whimper.

“A-are you goin t-to kill thee?”

“If Draco dies...I'll turn your dreams into your worst nightmares” Hermione began, never once breaking her monotone as she gently swept a strand of black hair from the girls’ face. “I'll make sure that every meal you eat, every drink you sip, will taste of blood-his blood-that you spilled. I'll make you friendless, loveless, childless. You won't be able to escape me.” She lifted Ann’s chin so that she could look her directly in the eyes. “And when you finally crack from the pressure and the reality that no one believes your tales of being haunted by a witch and you find yourself entering a state of madness that makes you question your sanity, and forces you to want to end it all, end the suffering...I'll still be there, keeping you alive for as long as possible. I'll keep you alive until you're all alone with no one to save you and then repeat the process until you're lying in the streets praying for a higher power to take you away…But they won't...No, if Draco dies because of you, I won't kill you...I will break you.”

Ann whimpered once more as Hermione looked her up and down before nodding for Ginny to release her and took down the barrier. After the children ran away sobbing, Blaise, who was breathing heavily as he was still in shock at what he had just witnessed, looked to the Gryffindor Princess in utter confusion.

“Who are you and what the fuck have you done with Hermione Granger? You-you could have just messed up the present, you know that, right? You didn’t obliviate them and-”

“To be the change is the key…” she quickly cut in while simultaneously trying to think about the repercussions of her actions.

“Mione, are you even listening?” Ginny questioned, still stunned that her friend had the strength to do what she just did.

“We need to change our plan” the brunette claimed while ignoring the aghast redhead. “Once word gets out that we ‘came back’ they are going to go after Joseph and Julia. We can’t let that happen. Someone needs to go to the house and protect him.”

“Wha-wha-Hermione, you just killed two men!” Blaise exclaimed as he looked to the dead bodies behind the Gryffindor.

“You can’t say you wouldn’t have done it too, Blaise. You saw Draco, we all saw him. They would have gladly done the same to us had they had the chance. I did what needed to be done and we don’t have the time right now to talk about it. Someone needs to protect Joseph and we need to save Draco before he's hung!”

“Okay, alright!” the Italian stated with his hands raised before reaching for his smoke bombs to hand one a piece to both the brunette and the redhead. “But don’t think this conversation is over! Once we save my mate, we are going to discuss what the fuck you just did…! I’ll take Isabel and ride back…just…just save him, okay, Hermione…Please…” he begged with tears filling his dark eyes. “You all are all I have left…”

“He would do the same for us…I’ll save him, Blaise…I promise…”

Friday, May 7th, 1999

“Are you saying that Blaise, Ginny, and Hermione, left him? They left my son?” Narcissa probed as the entire room fell quiet. “Blaise wouldn’t leave him!”

“I’m not saying they did!” Harry retorted; however, he quickly changed his tune when he remembered he was speaking to the mother of the boy who had technically just been tortured in front of her. “I just heard a man say they left, Mrs. Malfoy, but I was ripped out of the vision after Draco passed out-”

“He passed out? Oh, Salazar…”

“Mrs. Malfoy, I…I-” the Chosen One began to apologize, but he suddenly felt extremely weak and a wave of tenderness began to engulf his whole body again. Throwing his head back as a spike of pain riddled his muscles, the marks that had once lay upon his skin, began to reappear as his eyes rolled back and he fell sideways into Thorfinn’s arms.

“Ahh, pray be, William!” John Wallace bellowed in irritation while pointing to the broken back wheel as three hooded figures stood stunned just four blocks away. No one seemed to notice them, and they quickly scampered away as five giggling girls ran down an alleyway. “You said thee cart was fixed! Nichols worked on it for weeks!”

“Tis not thy fault thee rain caused thee wood to rot!”

“Thee rain cause not the wood to rot in a mere hour!” he retorted before sighing heavily as he glanced at the Draco leaning sideways as the wagon tilted to the left. Due to courtesy of the woman in the town, a few guards managed to wrestle long breeches onto the boy, but John refused to allow a shirt because he wanted the Slytherin to still be shamed like the rest of the prisoners. “It matters not, find a replacement wheel, lad, and do it fast! We have a hangin to get to!”

“I know there be a spare in Mr. Wardwells’ shop two blocks from here” William reluctantly stated as he wanted nothing to do with the murder of a human and was unwillingly dragged into the mess as he was an apprentice to the town’s sheriff. “Give thee a few moments to retrieve it, alright?”

“Make it quick, William. We do not want to delay any further.”

William hopped onto his horse, that was following the prisoner, and raced to the shop as Draco kept his head down, praying death would take him before the men had a chance to place a noose around his neck. However, the sound of a female cry rang through the streets, causing him to lift his head painfully as everyone looked in the direction the shout came from.

“WITCH!”

“Sweet Jesus, I pray tis a mistake!” John huffed before glaring at Draco like he was the one to cause the disturbance. But the blonde sullenly lowered his head once more and looked down at his hands tied in front of him as his strained breathing continued. “You men,” he began to order while pointing to four men speaking to each other around the cart, “watch him! Samuel! Let’s go!”

When the pair began to walk away, the Slytherin lifted his head and watched as they made their way down the muddy street before turning right and down the same alley the five girls had walked into earlier. Once they were out of sight, William returned and together, with help of the men supposedly watching the prisoner, they replaced the broken wagon wheel. But as they waited for John and Samuel to return, Draco saw a bright white flash light up the path the two had previously walked into. Though he once again passed it off as his mind playing tricks on him in his weakened state as no one else appeared to see what he did through his one good eye.

“We cannot delay any further” an older Puritan man with a thick black beard claimed while getting into the front of the cart. “We were to meet Reverend Parris fifteen minutes ago. John Wallace and Samuel Pinkel shall have to meet us up thee hill when they are done with whatever thee be doin.” With that, he clicked the reigns attached to the single horse and began carting Draco away.

The ride was not a smooth one and caused the Prince to wince and groan in pain as his body ached when the cart ran over large potholes in the road. It took all of ten minutes until the group made it to Proctor’s Ledge and the rain finally subsided, but it was ten minutes the blonde Slytherin wished had passed by even quicker.

Draco had finally given up wanting to live after hoping one last time that his friends would save him. He was helped to his feet, as his hip was still dislocated, and moved to the back edge of the wagon for all to see him clearly. Taking a look at all the people staring up at him in disgust made him realize he probably wouldn’t be missed once he was dead…at least not by anyone in this era. William, who appeared to not want to do what was asked of him, gently balanced Draco and placed the large rope noose, swung over a strong branch of the tree the cart was stationed in front of, around the blondes' neck before sighing softly.

“I am sorry…” he whispered as he looked to the ground while facing away from the crowd of villagers taunting the accused witch. However, Draco simply looked back to the crowd as a small tear escaped his good eye. “I am truly sorry…I will pray for thee death to be quick, for the Lord knows this be not right…”

As William released his grip and stepped off the cart that was to be pulled out from under Draco when the time came, a woman’s piercing scream reverberated off the trees of the Ledge as she pointed to the wizards' left arm.

“SATAN BE AMONG US! HE BEARS THEE WITCHES MARK!” she shrieked before collapsing into her husband’s arms.

Everyone looked to Draco, who glanced down at his forearm, and sure enough the glamour charm had faded, and his Dark Mark shown clear as day. Slowly raising his eyes back up while thinking about how screwed he was because now they had the proof they needed, the Malfoy heir scanned the throng of people cursing and throwing rotten food at him. Although, one person appeared to stand out from the masses. One person he knew he was hallucinating.

Hermione Granger stood in the back of the mob with her lips slightly parted and sadness riddling her features. The sun slowly emerging from the darkened clouds, cast a small glow around her as she removed the hood covering her hair before reaching into her cloak with both hands and pulling out two foreign items. He couldn’t see her very well, but he knew she looked like one of those muggle angels he had heard so much about. She was beautiful and the more Draco stared at her the more Harry could feel a spike of emotions coursing through his body.

Though the blonde wizard only thought he was materializing the Gryffindor witch to help get him through the hate spilling from the town’s lips and the emanate demise he was about to suffer through, Harry knew the truth. The Chosen One was able to tell the difference between what was real and what was imaginary. He may have been in Draco’s body and could sense everything his former nemesis could, but he was not directly in the Malfoy heirs’ tortured state of mind. And as he studied Hermione, slowly pushing past people who didn’t even bother to give her a second look as they continued their loathing taunts and the Reverend began to speak a passage from the bible open in his palm, Harry watched as his best friend inconspicuously crossed her arms over her torso while her nimble index fingers slipped purposefully into the metallic rings of the objects he couldn’t identify.

She held Draco’s’ gaze while ignoring the people around her before pulling the pins and dropping the bombs to the ground at her feet. A rush of white smoke began to fill the air as Puritan women screamed in confusion, alerting everyone of Hermione’s presence. However, the thick smoke engulfed her as it rose above her head, preventing the now scrambling villagers from seeing her, while Ginny reared Isaiah with a fake body splayed in front of her, to gain everyone’s attention.

Unfortunately, the abrupt sounds filling Proctor’s Ledge, caused the horse attached to the cart Draco was standing upon, to rear in fright. Standing on its hind legs, the brown steed kicked its front hooves in the air before crashing them to ground and bursting into a run. The sudden bolt was too quick for William to stop the process and Draco felt the wagon pull out from under him and the rope to tighten around his neck. But before his feet could whip through the air as he dangled from just his neck, a smoke bomb was thrown at him and a red light raced through smog, severing the rope, and forcing him to crumple to the ground with his hands still tied in front of him.

Perplexed and dazed, Draco grunted in pain as he smashed into the grass in one swift agonizing motion. Though before he could understand what was happening, a figure slowly walked through the white vapor and looked down at him. His vision was blurred, but as Hermione crouched down and placed her hands gently on him, he truly thought he was dead.

“Her…mi…” he whispered before tilting his head into the mud as pain overwhelmed his senses.

“Draco…” he heard her mutter, but he could have sworn it was just the voice of an angel calling him into the afterlife as he thought about the happy moments with the people, he thought were his friends. “Draco…don’t let go, okay…Don’t let go…” It was the last thing he heard before everything went black and he felt a strong arduous pull all over his broken body, causing Harry to break from the vision and gasp as he shot up straight; scaring the ever-loving piss out of everyone in the Library.

Salem, August 1st, 1692

Hermione apparated Draco back to the woods they originally landed in and fell to her hands and knees at the loss of blondes’ weight. Scrambling to her feet she quickly raced towards the Slytherin laying in a pile of leaves passed out and severed the robes binding his hands and feet. Looking him over to make sure she didn’t splinch him in the process of trying to save his life, she tapped his face in an effort to wake him; praying he wasn’t dead.

“Draco! Draco, please wake up…! Come on, you insufferable git, wake up!” But he didn’t move. “Please…please don’t be dead…Please!” she sobbed as she continued to gently smack his less injured cheek.

When he groaned and moved his head, she gasped in relief and immediately tried to help him stand. It wasn’t the most graceful process nor was it the quietest as the Malfoy heir cried out in excruciating pain, but she had to get him away from the town as fast as possible. Throwing his right arm over her shoulders, Draco howled in agony as she tried to steady his full weight before doing anything else. And as she began to move while the blonde protested against her, and his twisted left leg dragged across the debris riddled ground, Ginny rode Isaiah with the fake straw filled body, as village men chased after her on steeds of their own.

The redhead had already thrown two smoke bombs in an attempt to distract the riders away from Hermione and Draco, who had disapparated only moments ago, and happily steered the angry Puritans through almost every street she encountered. She was grateful she had learned to ride over the summer after the war, and as it turned out, she was exceptionally skilled in the activity. She always loved horses and when her parents gave her permission to help rid the depression she was feeling after her brothers’ death, she realized horseback riding took the heartbreak away. The youngest Weasley didn’t have to think about anything except the wind in her face and the sound of a thunderous tempo, created by hooves hitting the ground, while a wave of energy, power, and freedom washed over her.

Although the situation she found herself in now was much different than when she would gallop in an open field, the exhilarating feeling of adrenaline still proceeded to fill her soul. Weaving in and out of alleyways like they were cake work, Ginny allowed the men behind her to continue their pursuit, leaving ample distance between them, as Joseph stood in the front doorway to his home with his arms crossed.

Reverend Parris stationed himself just outside of the house with a mob of about a dozen men behind him, as they came to arrest the brunette and his daughter, who was hiding behind her father. After being alerted by Ann and her friends during the chaos that occurred on Proctor’s Ledge, of the murders they bore witness to, the Minister gathered who he could and rushed to the Hamman farm as quickly as possible. He wanted an honest reason to arrest Joseph because he knew the Puritan had lied about the whereabouts of the blondes’ group. And after finding out the people who had stayed with him killed two of his best jail workers, he was itching to take him away and see him hanged. But a deep sound, like an amplified bass that one could feel in the pit of their stomach, began reverberating the Earth’s surface, pulling him from his pleased glare. It was faint at first but grew louder and more defined as the vibrations rose in everyone’s chests and the booming rumble finally revealed its source.

The Minister and his fellow followers turned to see a smirking redhead trailed by at least twenty or so villagers, barreling down the road to their left, heading straight for them. However, Ginny quickly steered Isaiah away from the throng of people and rushed past them as she headed towards the woods, but not before purposely dropping the faux body at the feet of the angry crowd. Wide eyed and confused, Parris slowly turned back to Joseph, who was now grinning mischievously, as Blaise rounded the corner of the doorway with his wand at the ready and sparks of magic flaring at his fingertips.

The two men smirked happily when the Reverends’ face fell to one of shock and fear and he stepped back in absolute horror. All the while, Ginny reached the edge of the wooden thicket and threw her last smoke bomb at the entrance before jumping the black Stallion through the thick smog, causing her pursuers to halt in disarray.

XX

Hermione stumbled as she carried Draco through the woods, causing the blonde to cry out in agony as they both fell to the ground. No longer able to go any further than the sixty meters they had somehow managed to already slowly walk, the brunette witch laid the Slytherin Prince down as she began to assess his injuries. However, the cries he had emitted allowed Ginny to easily find the pair as she rode Isaiah through the dense trees.

“Mione!” she called out before stopping the horse and dismounting. “Oh, my Gods! Draco!” she exclaimed when she saw his crumpled body lying in a pile of dirt, twigs, and leaves. “Get him on the horse! We have to get him out of here! I don’t know how long that smoke bomb will keep those men at bay!” she claimed as she knelt down opposite Hermione.

“We can’t lift him, Gin! There’s something wrong with his leg a-and it hurts him to move!”

“Well, what if we levitate him? I know it’s a slow process given his weight but-”

“Hermione! Red!” Blaise shouted in an attempt to find the girls. He had warded the Hamman house and their farm so the town of Salem couldn’t get to family, before disapparating to help his friends with Draco. He didn’t know exactly how bad of shape his best mate was in and he prayed his eyes had deceived him when he saw the wizard kneeling in the cart. However, when he finally stumbled upon the three, the sight he saw, made his blood run cold. “Oh, my fucking Gods…” he uttered in sheer shock. “What the fuck did they do to him? What the fuck did they do?”

“Blaise!” the bookworm sobbed. “Help us get him on the horse! We have-” she began to state, but the sounds of men echoed through the trees, causing them all to freeze. Thinking as quickly as she could, Hermione brought out her wand and stood up, allowing Blaise to take her place as she began placing wards around them. Ginny hastily followed suit and together the two witches did their best as they rushed to place up as many charms as they could. Although during the process, Draco howled as the rain began to pour down upon them through the tops of the trees and soft droplets of water pelted his raw skin. “Shut him up!” the Golden Girl shrieked. She had yet to fully cast the muggle repelling ward and she didn’t want anyone to hear the screams, leading the villagers directly to them. “Blaise! Shut him up!” she demanded as the Prince continued to wail uncontrollably.

“I’m trying!” the dark-skinned wizard retorted before pulling out his wand and unwillingly cast a silencing spell on his friend.

As soon as Hermione and Ginny both finished their chanting, a horde of men walking through the woods approached them with a variety of weapons and muskets in their hands. Some were on horses, trotting through the muddy ground, while others simple trekked on foot as they searched for the four during their atrocious witch hunt. Though one man stopped roughly a half a meter from Hermione’s face as she held her breath and tried not to make a sound in case the wards were not properly placed in their urgency to hide themselves.

The unknown man with long straight black hair, scowled as he scanned the invisible barrier before shaking his head in confusion. He had no idea why he was out in the woods anymore and looked around at all the people scouring through shrubs for some unknown reason. He then suddenly had a strange urgent feeling that he had forgotten to snuff the candles in his home and quickly raced back to the village. The same happened a few more times until the vicinity surrounding the foursome became vacant as the Muggle Repelling enchantment prevented all non-magical beings from seeing the group.

Finally taking a breath, Hermione panted for a second before reaching into her purse and pulling out one of the tents they had used back in China. Throwing it to the ground, she pointed her wand at the fabric, erecting it as quickly as possible, before uttering an Expanding charm, making it large enough for the four of them to share.

“Get him into the tent, hurry!” the brunette ordered as she rushed to help Blaise.

Standing Draco up, who was silently pleading with the trio assisting him to stop while clinging to Blaise’s shirt as pain ripped through his body, they rushed into the tent. As they hobbled inside, Hermione summoned a few blankets they had acquired throughout their journey and laid them on a makeshift table she had transfigured from the second tent.

While the blonde cried, he continued to beg for them to put him down, but they couldn’t hear him through the silencing spell Blaise still had on him. He just wanted it to stop; he wanted it all to stop…He now knew he wasn’t dead, but it didn’t stop the horrid thoughts of wanting to die from escaping his mind. Though he had been tortured by the Cruciatus Curse repeatedly over his life, the agony was only temporary and stopped shortly after the spell had ended. But the pain he was feeling now, the injuries spasming through his core, it was never-ending. Normally the Slytherin Prince could handle pain, he could handle the whips his Aunt threw at him, and he could manage the aftereffects left upon his skin. But this pain, this torture…he couldn’t deal with.

The group set Draco on the wooden table while Blaise removed the charm so his friend could tell them what hurt more. However, as soon as the spell was lifted, the Malfoy heir screamed while tears streamed down his face and he gasped for breath, causing Ginny to quickly throw a silencing spell around the tent, just in case. It broke all of their hearts to see him riddled with pain as he sobbed uncontrollably, but they had to shake away the sorrowful thoughts if they were going to be able to help him.

“Draco! Draco, I need you to tell me what hurts the most, mate!” Blaise requested as his adrenaline spiked and he moved around the table to stand on the wizards’ right-hand side while Hermione began healing Draco’s eye and face with her wand. Ginny did her best to help Blaise remove the breeches the muggle way before deciding to just rip the trousers with her hands. But in doing so, Draco screamed worse than before, causing his voice to crack and break as his body spasmed and flailed. Deep purple bruising could be seen littering the pale skin of the Slytherins’ left leg, just above the edge of his damp boxers.

“Shhh, Draco, please hold still” Hermione pleaded as she stroke the top of his wet hair.

“What the hell did they do to him?” the redhead muttered as she reached for her wand and sliced a cut through the soiled underwear in order to get a better view of the dangerously swelling injury. The scent of urine filled the tent as she shed a tear and gazed at Draco’s protruding hip in outright shock. “Mione, what potions do you have…? Mione?” she inquired again when her best friend didn’t answer, before looking to her while Blaise preformed a diagnostic spell. “Hermione!” the brunette snapped her sullen face to the Gryffindor. “What potions do you have?”

“I-I-I’m not sure…”

Ginny sighed before reaching for the beaded bag and pulling out all the healing elixirs she could find. Unfortunately, there were no sleeping or even calming Draughts, which made her believe Hermione had used them all in order to combat her nightmares, and there wasn’t a single pain-relieving potion either. All she could find was a small bottle of Skele-Gro and half of the bottle of Wiggenweld they had used on Blaise in the desert.

“Shite!” she claimed in frustration before handing the dark-haired wizard the only items, besides their wands, that they could use to heal the Prince. But as she reached across Draco, she accidentally brushed up against his hip, causing him to suddenly shift his body as he rolled to the side with a loud yell.

“Fuck!” Blaise shouted while quickly pushing his friend back down. “Hermione, hold him down!” he ordered. Although, the blonde began gasping for air as the bookworm pinned his shoulders to the wood, forcing the dark-skinned Slytherin to think the broken rib he had seen during his first diagnostic spell, veered upwards. Preforming the charm again, but this time only over Draco’s chest, he realized he was right. The single broken bone, surrounded by three bruised ribs, had unfortunately shifted during the turn and punctured a small hole in his right lung. Luckily for them, when Blaise had forced Draco to his back, the bone realigned close to its counterpart, so he didn’t have to painfully guide it back. “Okay…” he began while breathing hard and trying to think of what to do. “I need you ladies to hold him, and I mean hold him down…He’s not going to like this very much.”

“What about his hip?” Ginny questioned in a panic. “We have to pop it back in!”

“The hip is going to have to wait, Red! He can’t breathe right now and if I don’t heal this puncture, fluid is going to build in his lungs!”

“Okay! Alright…” she gasped while trying to contain her emotions before rushing to the other side of the table to hold Draco’s right leg down while Hermione removed her cloak and quickly shoved it in the Princes’ mouth.

Taking in a deep breath while the girls pinned the blonde Slytherin to the table, Blaise pointed his Ivy and Runespoor Fang wand at his best mates’ right lung and bit his bottom lip before beginning to heal organ. Draco growled against the fabric in his mouth and pushed his body against the two Gryffindors struggling to contain him as his left arm shot up and clutched Hermione’s’ bicep for dear life. After the few seconds it took to repair the injury, the pale blonde sucked in a deep breath through his nose but continued to hold onto the Golden Girl as Blaise forced him to drink the nasty tasting Skele-Gro to mend his ribs before shoving the cloak back in his mouth.

Turning his attention to the dislocated hip he knew would take a day or two to fully heal, the dark-haired wizard wiped a hand down his face as he walked around to the other side of the table. The hip was too far gone to magically heal it at this point and needed to be manually popped back in as well as allowing the blood, pressing hard against his skin, to release, before he could move forward. Unfortunately, he knew the pain would match that of the Cruciatus Curse…except in only one location.

“Red…Red, I’m going to need your help…”

“What about me? I can help…” Hermione claimed in desperation.

“You are going to help, Buttercup” Blaise stated dejectedly. “I need you to keep holding him, alright? I need you to do your best to keep him calm. I’m not skilled enough to magically repair this sort of injury until the hip is put back in place and…and I stop the swelling. Which means he’s going to be in an intense amount of pain. I don’t care what you have to do but you have to keep him still, do you understand?”

Hermione’s bottom lip quivered as she nodded her head. A single tear fell from her lashes as Ginny prepared to lift the Princes’ twisted left leg and Blaise hesitantly placed the tip of his wand on the side of the injury while exhaling swiftly. While trying to hold back water wishing to spill from her brown eyes, she looked to Draco who was sobbing as small moans escaped through the cloak held tightly in his teeth. Cupping her hands around the blondes’ wet face, she rotated his head so he could look at her.

“Draco…” she uttered while licking her lips. “I need you to stay calm alright…Can you do that for me?” Shaking his head ‘no’ as he pleaded with his grey eyes for them to stop, Hermione brushed a strand of hair out of his face before rubbing her thumb tenderly across his cheek. “Please…Please try…”

“We have to do this now, Hermione” Blaise interrupted with determination as he prepared to cut into the blondes’ skin while Ginny readied herself to help keep the leg as steady as possible.

“Okay, okay…Just…do it. I’ve got him…” she claimed without taking her eyes off Draco. “I’ve got you…”

“On the count of three…One…” the dark-skinned wizard began, but without warning and without reaching two, Blaise quickly started slicing deeply into the Slytherins’ leg, causing Draco to scream in agony and thrash about while dark blood pooled from the wound. “Hermione! Keep him still!”

“Draco, stop! Stop! You have to stay still! You have to let them do it!” she cried while trying to keep his attention on her. But he was in far too much pain to even hear her. “You’re okay, Draco! We’re only trying to help you!”

“Hermione!” Ginny shouted as the Prince continued to flail and shriek while they struggled to hold his leg still, forcing the brunette witch to do the only thing she could think of to calm him.

“MALFOY!” she screamed, causing the wailing Slytherin to finally look to her once more. When she had his attention, she caressed his cheek with shallow breaths. “I…I need you to let me in…” She could see the heartache emitting from his beautiful grey eyes, but entering his mind was the only way she could distract him enough to keep him still. However, he slowly shook his head right as Blaise and Ginny pushed at his leg to pop the hip back in, causing him to scream while shutting his eyes tightly. “Look at me…!” she demanded forcefully, making his eyes shoot open. “Look at me, remember…? Only me…” Fresh tears fell from his lashes as he recalled what he had said to her in Pompeii when he had tried to protect her from seeing the ash cloud. He knew she just wanted to help but he never allowed anyone to enter his mind. Although something about the way Hermione was gazing delicately at him made him rethink everything he ever knew. “Please…Let me in…”

He hesitated for a brief moment before nodding his head and lowering his walls to allow the Gryffindor Princess to enter his mind. Sighing softly, while gently gripping both sides of his face so their eyes stayed connected, Hermione wandlessly cast Legilimens and in less than a split second, found herself being pulled uncontrollably into the thoughts and memories of Draco Malfoy.

Multiple images swirled around her as she tried to gain the upper hand against the pressure of him wanting to push her out, causing the brunette to witness things she never thought she would ever see. Flashes of Draco as a small child barreled at her at lightning speed, making her feel slightly lightheaded before the visions suddenly halted and she found herself sitting at the Slytherin table in the Great Hall at Hogwarts. She couldn’t control her body although she could observe Theo pegging Neville in the back of the head with a balled-up piece of parchment before hearing laughter emit from the group surrounding the Prince. It was then that she realized she was witnessing a memory from right before they went to the museum.

As she watched herself pick up the paper before turning around to scowl at the Slytherins, she felt her lips fall to a frown…but she wasn’t controlling it.

“Alright…” Draco ordered firmly as his gaze remained fixed on Hermione. “Enough.”

“Enough?” Blaise questioned with a raised brow. “Since when did we stop messing with Longbottom?”

“Since it became boring” the blonde snapped his sight to his Italian friend. “Move on to someone else; maybe a Ravenclaw or something” he suggested with a wave of his hand as he turned his mercurial gaze away.

“Now that’s a real challenge. I like it!” Theo claimed with a smirk as he began to look around the room for a new target.

However, the bookworm noticed Draco’s eyes veer back to her and she felt an odd ping in her chest as he watched her comfort her Herbology friend. But the memory cut short and she felt herself being dragged through his mind once more; stopping in a new flashback of the blonde looking down at a potion before adding the last drop of Hellebore to the mixture. Realizing it was the day they had made Draught of Peace back in December before Christmas break, she recalled that she and Draco were the only ones to correctly brew the recipe. The last part of the directions was to add exactly seven drops of Hellebore as the potion simmered on a low heat and it was the part most students misjudged. But as he lifted his eyes to her and watched her only put in six, he covertly added a drop when she wasn’t looking, causing her breath to catch before being pulled into a third memory.

"Am I just a convenience to you?" she heard herself hastily question. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean it to come out the way it sounded I just…I want to know that we can still and I don't know, grab a Butterbeer or-or go to dinner or something…once we're home."

"I can't tell if you're asking me to hang out or if you're asking me on a date…" he claimed with narrow brows. But she could feel her…his…heart begin to race.

"Not a date!" she quickly proclaimed with crimson cheeks. "I-I-"

"I was joking" he scoffed lightly. However, the sudden feeling of sadness washed over her and she knew it wasn’t her own. "But to answer your many questions-”

Before he could continue, she felt herself being dragged into one last flashback…one she had prayed heavily to avoid.

Standing in the greyed-out Drawing Room in Malfoy Manor, Hermione watched as Bellatrix Lestrange hit her with the Cruciatus Curse, causing the brunettes’ body to wither on the tiled floor in excruciating pain. Suddenly, the room began to shake as if an earthquake was occurring as a loud trembling noise reverberated off the walls around her. However, the people in the room listening to her screams as she was hit with the curse again, appeared to not be fazed. It was as if the quake wasn’t even happening.

Heartbreak and sorrow filled her soul as Draco flicked the wand rapidly at his side, but unbeknownst to anyone except Narcissa Malfoy standing off to the side while the walls of the room continued to violently shake and the noise grew even louder, the Slytherin Prince cast a wordless protection spell, Hermione couldn’t identify, around the thrashing girl screaming in agony on the floor.

Before she could think anything of the action, the bodies in the room quickly faded away and she felt an extremely hard push against her chest, knocking the wind from her lungs as Draco forcefully shoved her out of his mind. Stumbling backwards while trying to catch her breath, Ginny and Blaise glanced to Hermione in utter confusion while still holding the blondes’ leg in the air.

“Mione? Are you alright?” the redhead inquired as the brunette witch clasped a hand over her chest while gasping for breath. It took a moment for Hermione to understand what the hell she had just witnessed before looking to her friends and nodding her head. “Okay, well whatever it was you were doing, we need you to keep it up. We almost have his hip back in place…”

Staring unseeingly in front of her, the Gryffindor Princess took an extra second to wrap her mind around the idea that Draco Malfoy, of all people, had been subtly protecting her since before the Battle of Hogwarts. Realizing however, that she needed to focus as the Princes’ cries broke through her stunned thoughts, she quickly ran her fingertips over her forehead and rushed back to him; careful not to slip on the blood that splayed across the ground.

“Draco, let me back in…” He shook his head ‘no’ because he knew she had seen what he had done to help her, and he had made a promise to himself, and to his mother, that he would never share that secret with her, ever. Understanding that he was now reluctant to allow her access to find the memory she was originally searching for; Hermione softened her gaze as she cupped his face and whispered low enough so only he could hear. “You have protected me for so long, Draco…” she began gently. “Please…please allow me to protect you this time…Let me back in…”

A single tear dripped from his lashes and landed on her petal soft skin before he closed his eyes and cautiously nodded his head. Recasting the spell but this time with more meaning, she strongly focused on the pure memory she knew would help calm him.

Standing in the middle of an open field as ash fell from the sky, every emotion flooded Draco’s soul as Hermione’s curly brown hair blew around them while a gust of wind whipped through their entangled bodies. His breath caught when she reached up and cupped his left cheek in her palm before sliding her fingers through his hair and brought him closer to her. Nothing but the thought of how beautiful she looked, even with soot covering her delicate pale skin, filled his mind.

His heart stopped however, as the brunette slowly brought her lips to his and a feeling of euphoria washed over his body. Closing his eyes once more, the blonde Slytherin embraced the witch with his right hand and deepened the delicate kiss. Lifting her up slightly by the waist while still strongly holding her body to his, Hermione parted her lips ever so slightly and allowed him to heighten the experience as she cradled his right cheek with the hand that was resting comfortably on his chest.

Replaying the kiss over and over again, the curly-haired witch allowed the memory to sooth the pain Draco’s physical body was experiencing, until everything slowly began to go dark and her Prince Charming fell into a blissful slumber.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Thank you all so much for your kind words and wonderful reviews last chapter! They mean the world to me! We all know reviews are an authors’ saving grace and a lifeline basically, but you guys went above and beyond and I legit teared up in happiness when reading them! So, thank you all for not only taking the time to read this story so far, but to write such amazing things about it! I am beyond grateful for each and every one of you! Please don’t stop leaving comments though! I NEED them haha! But I love them so much and get excited every time I get an email notification! Love you all XOXO**


	14. Gryffndor Courage

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **AN- I just want it known that is was utterly by accident that this chapter ended up being 15k words…Anyway…Enjoy! XOXO**

_“I thought that I've been hurt before, But no one's ever left me quite this sore, Your words cut deeper than a knife, Now I need someone to breathe me back to life”_

**-Stitches- Shawn Mendes**

Chapter 14- Gryffindor Courage

Salem, August 1st, 1692

Ginny stood in the shadows just outside the tent entrance with her arms crossed as she watched Hermione rocking back and forth on the ground, mumbling a prayer while holding Draco’s head in her lap. He was wrapped in multiple blankets spelled with warming charms as he slept, however, she couldn’t really say peacefully. It had been four hours since they had done everything they could to heal the Slytherin Prince, four hours of painstaking effort to not fall apart as they used the last of the Wiggenweld and as many healing charms as they could to seal the lashes that splayed across the blondes’ skin. Although without any Dreamless Draughts, they couldn’t stop the sweating nightmares he was suffering through. But it seemed the curly-haired witch’s presence helped to at least ease his thrashing.

Hermione continued to rock the blonde in her arms as she prayed for his adversity to end. She blamed herself for arguing with him, for the words that spilled from her lips, which hurt him enough to want to walk into the woods and cast a Patronus that inevitably forced him into the conditions he now faced. If she had just kept her mouth shut, he would be fine. If she had followed her heart instead of the stupid logic that kept telling her it was wrong, Draco wouldn’t have had to fight just to stay alive. She knew it was her fault…It seemed everything was her fault.

“O God…grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change…the courage to change the things I can, and the w-wisdom to know the difference. Living o-one day at a time, enjoying one m-moment at a time. Accept-accepting h-hardships…as t-the path…pathway to pe-peace…” she began to sob as she pulled Draco closer to her chest before looking up to the ceiling of the tent, waking him just enough to hear her pleas. “Please…” she implored through her warm tears. “Please help him…I-I didn’t mean for this to happen. I-I didn’t mean…” she lowered her head and squeezed her eyes shut. “Please save him…I’ll do anything just…please help him…I beg you; this-this isn’t his fault, he’s a good man…” she claimed while puckering her lips before slightly opening them as she cried and droplets of tears fell into his hair. “He paid for his mistakes; he doesn’t deserve this…If you want to punish someone then punish me instead. I deserve it…Give me his pain, God…let me take it away from him…Please give me his pain…” she inhaled slightly before looking up once more. “Please…”

Ginny’s lips parted while she wistfully watched her best friend crumble to pieces. It broke her heart to see her in so much despair and know she felt guilty for the actions that had led them to where they were now. But she knew her best friend was not to blame. Not even Draco, who had cast the damn charm, was responsible. She couldn’t even really hold Ann or the town of Salem accountable either because none of this would have happened…if it wasn’t for Osiris and his poignant cursed amulet. She wished she could just throw the stupid thing away, but they all knew that wouldn’t work. They had to go through whatever five eras that were in store for them…why though, she had no idea.

“Hey Red…” Blaise spoke gently, pulling her from her thoughts as he laid a soft hand upon her shoulders. “How is she?”

“She’s a mess…they both are…” she claimed despondently. “She never prays. Not since she was a little girl and has told me even then, she only ever went to church because her parent forced her to go. Blaise, she wants to pass Draco’s pain on to her and blames herself for what happened to him; and no matter what I try to say, she won’t listen. It’s like she’s not even here anymore…And she refuses to leave his side. Mione flat out screamed at me when I tried to take over and give her a break. I don’t know what to do…” she declared while steering her gaze to the dark-haired wizard with dejected eyes.

“There…there isn’t really anything we can do” he shrugged as he glanced at Hermione wiping Draco’s hair gently out of his face with her fingertips.

“We have to figure something out. Blaise, she had no Calming Draughts in her bag. No Sleeping Draughts, Dreamless ones, or even pain-relieving potions either.”

“So?”

“So?” Ginny grabbed his arm and moved him away from the tent so the bookworm couldn’t overhear her. “So, that means she used them all. When have you ever known Hermione to not be prepared for anything? There’s absolutely no way she would have forgotten to pack important potions like those. She always made sure to have plenty in stock in her room and even went as far as to carry multiple bottles of each to breakfast. To breakfast! She shouldn’t have run out just yet! I packed them myself…And-and Godric, she murdered two people. Two…She has never outright killed anyone, ever!”

“Okay, she’s a little unstable-”

“A little? Blaise, you saw her back in that alleyway…We both saw her. She’s well past the point of being unstable and has fallen into a crevice we apparently can’t yank her out of. The only person who can possibly do that is Draco and he is unconscious…Merlin knows for how long. I can’t even help her when she has night terrors, how the hell am I supposed to assist her in pulling herself together?”

“Give her space…” Blaise spoke calmly, making the redhead raise a brow in confusion. “I know you’re the type of friend to always want to help, Red, but that’s not what Hermione needs right now. She’s fallen into a deep state of regret and only she can dig herself out. Nothing you say or do will make any difference because she won’t hear it. All she’ll hear is the little voice inside her head telling her she fucked up. You need to give her space. Give her some time to wrap her mind around everything and sort through the logic we all know she’s thinking…

“And when she’s ready…you’ll be there to help her pick up all the broken pieces. We all will…cause like it or not, we’re family now and families will always stick by each other. Even if that means we have to stand in the background and watch our loved one’s crumble into nothing.” He took a step forward and wrapped Ginny within his warm embrace. “She’ll get through this…just like Draco will” he stated before pulling back and placing a gentle kiss upon her forehead. “They have a strong team standing behind them…and we will both catch them when they fall.”

Friday, May 7th, 1999

Harry sat quietly in the large claw foot tub that rested in the en suite attached to the bedroom he and Ron were staying in until Sunday night and stared unseeingly at the clear water covering him. After Professor McGonagall and Madam Pomfrey, who had poked and prodded the raven-haired wizard until she was positively certain he was okay, came rushing through the floo the instant they had received Lunas’ urgent Owl, Harry had managed to slip off before dinner to find a moment to collect his thoughts.

He had tried explaining things to the best of his ability, including witnessing Hermione saving Draco right before he was hung, but could no longer take Narcissa’s unwavering gaze, which held fear and panic, as she waited for him to be pulled into another vision…or worse, keel over. He wondered how Draco was fairing with everything, since he was the one still harboring the painful wounds, but the more he thought about it, the more he just wanted to break down again.

Physically, The Chosen One was fine, but he couldn’t say the same for his mental status. Knowing Hermione was there to heal the Slytherin Prince after the torment he had endured, helped him feel slightly better about the situation, but it didn’t do anything to still the thoughts of giving up. Draco was dead set on letting muggles take his life and honestly believed the rest of his group, that included his best friend Blaise, would leave him behind. He wished he could say he could only imagine the feelings the blonde went through, like everyone else, but unfortunately, he had actually lived it. Although, the experience left him feeling confused about the kiss he had witnessed between the pair and he began to respect the blonde who had not only suffered through so much, but willingly sacrificed his life so Hermione wouldn’t die alone in 79 AD.

It seemed however, that even after Harry had thought he was done with horrible things constantly happening to him, somehow, life found a way to place him back in the center of its cruelty. Of course, he was the one who demanded to do the ritual but outside of that, he had no part in anything else and didn’t understand how bad things regularly kept following him. Although, similar to the Malfoy heir, he could handle pain and heartbreak, but the emotions he’d felt in Salem’s jail once Draco concluded that no one was coming…broke him.

The last time he had ever felt this doleful, was when he had lost Sirius to the Veil. He had sworn he would never allow anything to crush him like that again, but there he was, sitting in a plain bath worrying for not only his friends, but the health of his former nemesis while shattering into a million pieces. However, as soon as he was about to dip his head under the warm water to try and rid the memories of the polluted liquid Draco had been submerged in, the bathroom door burst open, startling him so much that water splashed over the edge of the tub.

“Merlin’s beard, Pansy!” he shouted before looking down at himself in shock and quickly covered his genitals with his hands. “Don’t you knock? Get out!”

“Sorry” she giggled, but instead of exiting the same way she came, Pansy balanced a plate in her hand and decent sized bag on her wrist, while closing the door behind her. She then brought out her wand and summoned a stool to set everything on. “So,” she exhaled heavily before tucking her wand back into her skirt and glancing down at the raven-haired wizards’ flushed face, “what would you like first? I brought dinner since you decided to skip that, and…What? What’s wrong?” she inquired as Harry sat completely stunned with his hands still covering his privates.

“Uhhhhh, I don’t really know how to tell you this, Pansy, but um…I’m naked…”

“Well I would hope so!” she chuckled while opening the bag. “If you took baths in clothing then I would have to question your intelligence.”

“What are you doing in here, Pansy? I’m trying to-”

“I know what you’re trying to do” she cut in rather quickly while pulling out strange bottles. “And I can tell you that this” she pointed to the water, “is not a proper bath and will do nothing to help relax you.”

“Pansy?” he argued in frustration while throwing his hands in the air before hastily covering his dick back up when he realized he had just flashed the girl.

“Yes, Potter?” she questioned while pulling the stopper off a vile and began to pour the oil substance into the bath. However, when he didn’t answer, she softened her shoulders and gazed tenderly at him. “Look, Harry…I-I’m used to doing this for Blaise, Theo, and…well Draco too. I’m not ashamed or embarrassed that you’re naked. I have three male best friends and I’m used to seeing more than I should. Though I am a little disappointed Draco hasn’t used this muggle bath set I bought him two Christmas’s ago. This stuff was not cheap, and he just threw it in the back of the closet of his en suit like it was nothing!”

“I-I am so sorry he did that to you and so very happy for you and your ability to not shy away from the male anatomy, but I am beyond uncomfortable with…this!” he claimed while pointing back and forth between the tub and her.

“So, let’s fix that, shall we” she smiled as she once again brought out her wand, poured another vile into the water, and flicked her wrist, causing large bubbles to appear and cover the Golden Boy. “Better?”

“Um…I guess…” he shrugged while making sure the bubbles covered every inch of his lower half. He was grateful Pansy was not only still human but was nothing like Moaning Myrtle, who had tried to take a peek at him multiple times in the Prefects’ Bathroom fourth year. “Wh-why are you doing this?” he inquired with a raised brow as she dropped a large bath bomb by his feet. Though he had to admit, his sore muscles were already starting to feel better, especially after she had dumped Eucalyptus and Spearmint Epsom salts into the water. However, when she rolled up her sleeve and reached her hand into the tub to stir the mixture, he just about jumped out of the water.

“Would you calm down” she sighed while rolling her eyes. All she wanted to do was be there for him and keep an eye out to make sure he didn't do anything stupid in case the psychological trauma he was going, or about to go through, became too heavy. But the more she thought about being there for him, the more she realized how much she enjoyed his company. “It’s not like I’m going to give you a hand job or something.” At the sound of the words ‘hand job’ Harry’s entire body stiffened as Pansy shook her head and went back to stirring the bath.

Yet when the Slytherin Princess leaned over to spread the substance around further, her chest pressed up against the side of the tub giving the Gryffindor Prince a perfect view of the top of her ample breasts. His dick began to harden, and he silently prayed she would remove herself before he surrendered to the urge to reach out and touch her. Unfortunately for him that didn’t stop him from unconsciously touching himself under the safety of the bubbles. He then realized what he was doing when she pulled back and quickly stopped before she noticed the bobbing foam. But she did notice, although she refused to say anything as she was flattered that someone was actually showing some sort of real affection for her.

She knew Draco had always used a hardening charm when he thought she couldn’t see, which didn’t help with her self-esteem any. So, she faked orgasms as she sullenly gazed at herself in the mirror in hopes to turn herself on. And the more she thought about it as she walked over to the shelf in the corner of the room and picked up a towel, the more she realized how much the Slytherin Prince didn’t seem to want her. But she was still optimistic he would finally see her as more than a ‘friend with benefits’, and as someone who could one day be his future wife.

“So, uh…W-why are you h-here?” Harry questioned nervously while praying that a conversation would make the wood in the bath simmer.

“I told you already, Harry” she stated while drying her hand and shaking the somber thoughts from her mind before walking back over to him, “I’m here to help you relax…and feed you. You haven’t really eaten much since we arrived and you’re getting a bit thin.” She bent down and picked up the plate off the stool before taking a seat and summoning a fork. “Mrs. Weasley had the house elves make us all meatloaf. Next to French onion soup, which I was told was your favorite from Weas-well younger Weasley, she didn’t think that was filling enough so you’re stuck with this. It’s not bad actually. I never had it before tonight.”

“It’s served at Hogwarts…” he claimed, narrowing his brows in confusion.

“I always avoided it” she shrugged while cutting a piece with the side of the fork. “It never really looked appetizing to me, but when Narcissa Malfoy tells you to eat it while staying in her Manor, you do as your told” she chuckled slightly before feeding the Gryffindor, who appeared apprehensive. “Harry,” she sighed as he slowly began to chew, “we’re friends and-and I do this sort of thing with friends. If you’re not comf-”

“It’s okay, Pansy” he claimed gently before swallowing. “I-I’m just not used to anyone but Hermione barging in on me to talk about…homework. It was always homework.” He narrowed his brows while trying to think of other conversations he had had with her during the school year, but nothing ever emerged. “It’s just a…strange…change is all-A good one though!” he immediately corrected when Pansy’s lips fell. “It’s a nice change…”

She smiled softly before cutting another piece of the meat to feed him. They sat quietly for a few moments as they both thought about how awkward the silence was, before Pansy cleared her throat and looked down at the half-eaten plate in her lap.

“I-I’m sorry for what I said about Granger…What Theo told you all during our argument…I don’t actually feel that way about her, I just…she can be overwhelming at times.”

“We all have a long history with each other, it’s too be expected. And if we’re being completely honest here, I would have to agree that she can be a bit…overwhelming at times too…It’s okay…”

“It’s not,” she raised her eyes to him and smiled softly, “but thank you for saying that.” He nodded his head before playing with some bubbles with the tips of his fingers. “Are-are you going to be okay? Mentally, I mean?” Harry inhaled deeply as he stared unseeingly before him for a long moment.

“Eventually…” he huffed gently through his nose with a small grin before gazing up at the raven-haired witch. “I have a really good friend to help me get through it.”

“Oh, well I mean Weasley is-” she began, but Harry’s small laugh interrupted her. “What? What’s so funny?”

“I meant you, Pansy” he smiled warmly while lifting his arm from the tub and reaching out for her. Anxiously taking his hand in hers, Pansy felt Harry lightly squeeze as he sat up straight and licked his lips. “Ron doesn’t know how to really deal with…this, and Hermione’s obviously isn’t here. And before you say it, I’m not substituting her with you. We might have only been friends for less than a day, but since this whole thing started, you’ve never actually left my side. That’s a true friend and…well I’m glad it was you who walked through that door.”

“Really?”

“Really” he smirked. “I mean think about it, Ron would never have made this bath so amazing” he laughed, causing Pansy to chuckle.

“It’s true” she clicked with a snicker. “I am the Queen of bubble baths.”

“That you are…but,” he squeezed her hand once more, “you’re more than that, you know? You’re a good friend, Pansy, and I’m really happy I get to know you.”

“Ditto” she answered, making both of them chortle in amusement at her use of a muggle term. “I-I know you’re not really comfortable with me being in here already, but um…can-can I hug you? I think we both could use a hug right now.”

“As long as you don’t mind getting wet-” Harry froze for a second as he replayed what he had just said through his mind while the Slytherin Princess pinched her lips together as she tried not to laugh. “I-I didn’t mean it like that!”

“Mmhmm, yeah of course, sure” she giggled before setting the plate down on the floor and leaning in. Hugging the Gryffindor Savoir while a single tear slipped from her lashes, Harry held her tightly as he too did his best to not cry into her soft black hair as a flood of emotions washed over them both.

Salem, August 2nd, 1692

Draco had awoken the following morning in the empty tent to the sound of birds chirping away in the trees surrounding him. He had no idea how long he had been out, but it felt like weeks; though it had only been a day. He remembered the incoherent voices speaking to him or even about him, he wasn’t quite sure, though he at least knew he was alive. However, the memory of his torture in Salem felt more like a bad dream than something that had actually occurred. Although, when he moved to sit up in the cot he was laid in, an agonizing soreness engulfed his entire body, allowing him to understand that he really had almost died and that his best friend had literally sliced through his leg like he was a Christmas ham.

After being rescued, the events leading up to where he was now, standing haphazardly in the middle of the expanded tent, were slightly foggy. He recalled waking up in pain in the middle of the woods as his group tried their best to fix his broken body, and he remembered fighting to push Hermione out of his mind before she saw too much in the Manor; but one occurrence during his healing faze, made him question everything. The memory was hazy at best, but he couldn’t recall if it was in fact a memory or if it was just a fabrication conjured in his delirious state.

Trying to think further on the words he thought he heard Hermione speak, the wavy-haired witch walked through the entrance of the tent, pulling him from the prayer he was trying to remember, and froze. Raising his grey eyes slowly to her stunned ones, a sudden mixture of anger that they had left him in that cell for so long, embarrassment that he was captured in addition to being tortured by muggles, and sorrow that the girl he thought he fancied, witnessed him at his worst, invaded his mind. He couldn’t figure out the words he wanted to speak, or if he even should speak at all, as they stared at each other, because he knew if he said anything, every emotion he was feeling would spill from his chapped lips. But if he thought the awkward moment couldn’t get more cumbersome, Hermione broke the heavy silence while stepping towards him.

“Y-you’re awake…H-How are you feeling?” she questioned nervously, but Draco just continued to stare at her dejectedly. “Well…y-you look better” she claimed with hope in her voice while fidgeting with her fingertips. “I uh-I-I came back to see if you were well enough for a bath…t-to clean you up.” He still didn’t speak so she licked her lips before bending down to pick her beaded bag up from off the cot where she had slept near him. “There’s a river with a beautiful waterfall not too far from here. I-I thought maybe I could help you. Blaise said you’ll be sore for a little while and that you shouldn’t walk without some assistance; at least until your hip has had another day to heal. Ginny went to return Isaiah and Blaise is making breakfast while keeping watch, so if you’re up for getting some air…”

The blonde Slytherin remained quiet as the bookworm glanced at him balancing most of his weight on his right leg. But she quickly let out a sigh and stepped forward to aid him out of the tent. However, when Draco flinched at her touch, she quickly stepped back with her hands raised.

“Draco…I-I won’t hurt you…” she stated gently as he eyed her timidly while his chest rose and fell at a fast pace. “I promise.” Slowly stepping back up to him, she reached out and waited for him to flinch again, but this time he had allowed her to touch him. Even though he was feeling a hurricane of different emotions all at once, he desperately needed a bath as he could smell the urine and sweat covering his body. However, when he looked down, he noticed he was no longer wearing the soiled drawers he was used to and comfortably wore his Slytherin pajama bottoms with a white t-shirt. He didn’t even realize he was dressed as a thousand thoughts flitted though his mind. “Are you ready?” she asked, forcing him to lift his eyes from his clothing and slowly nod his head.

Hermione gently escorted the Malfoy heir out of the tent while Ginny and Blaise took turns keeping watch, after the redhead had returned, and led the Prince to a large river that surprisingly was not that far from their camp site. Setting him down on a boulder near a roaring waterfall that emptied into a vast alcove, she quickly put a few wards around the area before walking back to him and reaching into her bag for a sponge loofah, a bar of unscented soap, and two bottles consisting of shampoo and conditioner, because she knew the blonde loved his hair products.

Helping him remove his shirt and his pajama bottom, Hermione guided a reluctant Draco, now wearing only his boxer briefs, towards the calmest part of the headwaters a few meters away from the waterfall. She then placed a warming charm around both of them and slowly stepped into the river, only stopping once the water reached his hips and began to tenderly wet his torso before soaping his skin up. He still never spoke as he stared unseeingly in front of him and only the sound of the cascading falls reverberated in the woods around them.

“So…” she began, trying to break the silence while gently cleaning the red marks that covered his back and biceps, “um, Julia has been bringing us food. Ginny created a temporary invisibility cloak for her so she could sneak out and Joseph is packing up the house so they can return to England as soon as possible. And the only muggles who can get through our wards is them, so you don’t have to worry. Julia misses you by the way. She feels terrible for what happened…”

She continued to ramble on about the family and how they planned to sneak out of Salem as they had helped the group significantly, while she washed Draco’s hair. However, a pulsing headache was brewing in the back of his skull and all he wanted was for her to stop speaking.

“Please stop talking…” he uttered in almost a whisper once she was done cleaning every inch of him and had him clean below his waist out of respect. The brunette witch however, ignored his request and once she helped him out of the river and released his hand to reach for an item in her bag, she continued to talk aimlessly, causing the blondes’ temper to boil over and his silence to break. “Merlin, Granger, just shut up already!” he snapped profoundly while rubbing his temples as anger surpassed every other emotion he was feeling.

“I beg your pardon?” she inquired with narrowed brows in complete confusion while slowly standing up from the bent position she was in with a white towel in her hand.

“Fuck!” he scoffed while shaking his head in irritation. “You’re so good at staying silent when asked about your damn feelings, but when it comes to my almost death, that’s when you decide to fucking care and talk up a storm! How about you do us both a favor and just shut the hell up! I don’t want or need your charity o-or you pretending to give a damn after you left me in that cell to be brutalized!”

“A-are you serious right now?” she questioned completely taken aback as he crossed his arms. “We didn’t leave you anywhere! We couldn’t risk having to save you and possibly myself, or Blaise, or-or Ginny because we got caught somehow! A-and the town was already on high alert! If we snuck in and they noticed that you were gone, then that would be Julia and her father’s life on the line! Not to mention how your sudden disappearance could mess with the timeline!”

“Mess with the timeline? You’re bloody joking, right? The timeline would have been fine if you would have just admitted your damn feelings for me in the fucking barn! Then maybe I wouldn’t have gone out to the woods to try and think of way to prove to you that I’ve changed! I SHOULDN’T HAVE BEEN THERE!”

“You went through a trauma,” she uttered when she realized what was happening, “so it’s perfectly logical that you would be feeling th-”

“Logical?” he laughed mirthlessly. “You really don’t fucking get it. This…is all on you!” he paused as his bottom lip quivered and his eyes began to water. “You abandoned me! You abandoned me in Knockturn Alley, you abandoned me in the barn, and you bloody fucking abandoned me in that cell…You, Granger!” he claimed bitterly while letting his emotions get the better of him. “And I finally realized that I don’t need you anymore. You couldn’t make up your damn mind when it really mattered so I’m just gonna do it for you. I’m done…I’m done trying to show how much I care for you; I’m done trying to be, Merlin, be the right guy…I’m done. Find someone else who’s apparently worthy enough for Gryffindor’s ‘sweet innocent little Princess’ and leave me the hell alone.”

“Draco…” she muttered as her brown eyes began to glisten.

“Piss off, Granger!”

“No! You don’t get to push me away because I ‘hurt’ your feelings! I’m so sorry for what happened to you, I am, but we didn’t know you were in that serious of a condition and we did our best to save you! I’m not pretending, Draco! How could I not care? Especially after seeing what you did for me in your family’s manor! I sent you my Patronus, so you knew we were coming! We just needed to wait for an opening!”

“Oh, come off it! You think I’m pushing you away because you ‘hurt my feelings’?” he scoffed before licking his lips and nodding his head as he tried to ignore the fact that she brought up the one memory she was never supposed to see. “Get this straight, Granger…I may have royally fucked up my past with the shite I’ve done, but in no way did I deserve to be treated like that by muggles because you left me in there to rot like some worthless scum…You gave me hope with that Otter…and then you ripped it away and left me feeling broken and rejected by the three people I considered family. I deserve better than you, because apparently you only seem to care when it’s convenient for you” he spat sullenly as his heart shattered.

“So, I take back my answers to the questions you asked me on that ship. Yeah, you’re now just a ‘convenience’ that I am officially over. No, we can’t grab dinner o-or a Butterbeer when we get home, and no…I sure as hell don’t wanna be your friend anymore. Once we make it through the other four eras and finally get home, I want nothing to do with you. And while we go through this bullshite, do me a favor and just stay the hell away from me, got it?”

Hermione stared at Draco thoroughly speechless as a single tear rolled down her cheek and her bottom lip trembled. It wasn’t so much the words the Slytherin was speaking, as it was the way he had said them. His tone was deadly serious, and in that moment, she realized she was too late. This was just one more thing adding weight to her already broken soul, and there was absolutely no way to mend it now.

“I’m…I’m sorry…” the brunette claimed as tears began to stream heavily down her face. She knew after the anguish Draco had endured, he would suffer through emotional and psychological trauma, but he seemed to have skipped over every stage of grief and went directly to anger, which she thought she could handle. However, it appeared she was wrong. “I was scared…I was scared to have feelings for you, I-I…I thought that what you felt for me wasn’t real, that it was just because we’re stuck here together. But I did-do, have feelings for you. I like you…a lot, and I…I wanted to save you that night, Draco, you have to believe me!”

“I can’t believe anything you say anymore…” he stated after staring at her for quite some time. “Like you said back in the barn…‘It’s easy to pretend when it’s with friends’…Guess now you don’t have to fake it any longer…We’re finished here.”

“Dra-”

“Malfoy!” he snapped as a tear slipped from his lashes. “Only friends get to call me by given name, Granger. And seeing as I apparently never would’ve looked twice at you if we weren’t stuck here…” he huffed dolefully through his nose. “It’s funny, ya know…? It took me almost dying in your arms and you rummaging around through my memories for you to finally see me as more than who I used to be. It’s just too bad that everything else I ever did to save your life and show you what you meant to me since this shite started, wasn’t enough.”

“Please don’t do this…” she whimpered. “I need you…”

“NO, I NEEDED YOU AND YOU WEREN’T THERE!” he screamed as he released all the anger he’d been holding inside, making Hermione shudder at his booming voice. “It’s already done! I’m not getting hurt by you anymore, do you hear me? You don’t get to use me anymore! You don’t get to play with my emotions because you can’t grow the hell up and figure out what the fuck you want! You had plenty of chances to be with me and you didn’t take them! I would have killed every fucking person in that Gods forsaken town to get to you if you would have been taken instead! I would have done everything to save you! I was willing to give you the damn world, Hermione and you just…” he paused with a heavy breath as he stared deeply into her somber eyes. “Forget it…You’re not worth the breath.”

“Malfoy…Draco, please…”

“LEAVE, HERMIONE! Do what your good at and just fucking LEAVE!”

Hermione threw the towel at Draco’s chest before collecting her things and rushing back to camp, leaving the blonde to limp over to the rock and sit down while rubbing his hands down his face. She raced through the woods as fast as her feet could take her and didn’t stop, even when Blaise had asked her what was wrong, until she made it into the tent, threw herself onto her cot, and began to bawl her eyes out. Ginny raised a brow in confusion before she and Blaise rushed in to find out what had happened. After Hermione muttered half coherent words through her deep sobs, what Draco had said, the Italian clenched his fists at his side while the red-headed witch comforted the bookworm in her arms.

Having had enough of the duo going back and forth and causing more stress than they were already going through, Blaise exhaled heavily before storming out of the tent and down to the river to hear his best mates’ side, and hopefully fix the damage between the pair.

Saturday, May 8th, 1999

Harry awoke in the middle of the night with a slight twinge in his stomach, though he didn’t know if it was due to being hungry or if it was for another reason. He did, however, have a strange feeling that he was supposed to be up right then…like a gut instinct he had felt on a few occasions that warned him when something wrong. Although, he brushed the sensation away as he assumed it was just residual from his time spent in the vision with Draco.

Slipping out from under the covers as Ron drooled on the pillow next to him, the raven-haired wizard rolled his eyes at his friend before putting on his glasses and grabbing his wand. Stepping into the grand darkened hallway, he began to make his way down to the Kitchens when he saw an obscured figure turn the corner towards the Library. Snuffing the light from his wand, in case the shadow was an adult who would yell at him for being out of bed so late, he continued on his way. However, when he began to walk past the large arched entryway that lead into the Athenaeum, he heard a loud bang and a male voice curse aloud.

Never shaking the sense of curiosity, that had been imprinted in him since before the war, Harry halted his trek when the voice began to mumble between the sounds of sobbing. Raising a brow in worry, he slowly opened the Library doors and stepped inside. But his eyes widened in fear when he saw Theo kneeling in front of the large fireplace with over a hundred lit black pillar candles surrounding him in the shape of an hourglass.

“Nott! What the bloody hell are you doing? Get out of there NOW!” the Gryffindor demanded before flicking his wand to snuff out the candles and summon the book from the Slytherins’ hands. “What the hell is wrong with you? Are you trying to die? Are you trying to get lost in the damn past? What the fuck were you thinking?” he yelled in outrage; alerting the two Gryffindor’s who were searching the halls for their missing roommates, to the Library. When Ron and Neville entered the book room, they stood stunned at the sight before them while the Chosen One continued to ream into the brunette wizard as if he was scolding a child.

“It was hard enough doing this ritual with a whole group! Have you gone completely mental? Trying to do this shite alone, have you lost your damn marbles!” he reprimanded while storming up to Theo, whose head was hung low as he cried uncontrollably, forcing Harry to stop and stare sullenly while breathing heavily. “What are you doing, Nott?” he questioned wistfully. “Why are you trying to do this ritual? You saw what it did to me…Wh-why would you do this? A-and alone? What were you thinking?”

“I was thinking this was all my fault!” Theo shouted in anger while raising his puffy red eyes to Harry. “Of course, I saw what this shite did to you! We all saw it!” he claimed with a trembling lip as fresh tears slid down his face. “I got our friends stuck in the damn past and because of it you a-and Draco…This is my fault! I’m responsible and I have to fix it! And the only way I can attempt to right my wrongs is to pass the visions from you onto me!”

“Nott…? Y-you can’t…That’s not how this works…”

Theo scoffed before biting his lower lip while shaking his head as The-Boy-Who-Lived knelt down in front of him.

“Then you didn’t read the fine print” he stated while pointing to the book in Harrys’ hands. “If another person does the ritual in the same fashion, while searching for the same person, using the exact same token…the visions will pass on to them…”

“Do you honestly believe Harry would let you do that?” Ron interrupted while taking a step forward. “He wouldn’t even allow one of us to volunteer when we preformed the damn thing in the first place.”

“He was hoping no one would find him…” Neville chimed in dolefully. “Isn’t that right, Nott? That’s why you came down here so late…” Theo nodded his head before looking back to the raven-haired wizard in front of him.

“Please…” he began to implore, “please let me do this…I-I have to do something to make this right. I have to fix this…”

Harry stared at the Slytherin with parted lips as his chest rose and fell dejectedly while the brunette’s brown eyes pleaded with him. But he couldn’t find it in himself to let anyone, not even someone like Umbridge, go through what he had.

“No” he declared sternly.

“Please, Potter! I deserve this! I deserve to have the burden you bare! I-”

“You’re not doing it and that’s final! I won’t allow you to throw your life away because you feel guilty…! Just because you made a bet that led to all this doesn’t mean you should carry this burden. We all make mistakes we have to live with and mine was doing the ritual. But Theo…that-that ritual was draining. If you tried doing it by yourself, you most certainly would have died and that wouldn’t be helpful to anyone. We don’t even know if the visions would even transfer or if we would both be stuck with them.”

“I’m not helpful now, Potter! This is all my fault and-and if I have to die to do this then I will! The world is better off without me anyway. All I ever do is create problems for everyone around me.”

“Don’t say that” Ron asserted adamantly. “Don’t you ever say that! No one is better off with you dead! You might feel like this is your fault and you know what, it might be, but Godric, Nott, we don’t want you to die, especially for something that was an accident.”

“And you have been helpful” Neville added. “Without you supporting me while Harry was going through that horrible vision, I would have completely fallen apart. And you helped research everything with us and you’ve been doing your best to atone for the one mistake that could have very well happened to any of us. You didn’t know what would have transpired after you made that bet. No one did. You can’t keep beating yourself up over it. Shite happens and we’re dealing with it the best way we know how.”

“They’re right, Theo” Harry spoke softly while turning his attention back to the Slytherin, “you’ve been helpful. And none of us want to lose you. For one, Malfoy would kill us if we ever let anything bad happen to you, and like it or not, we’re in this together. But…now that we know we can’t bring them back until they make it through all the eras, we can still continue to work together and concentrate on finding them. With my visions, the map, everyone who has lost sleep over this, and you, we can find them. Whether it’s in history books, pictures, paintings, whatever, we’ll find them, and they will all make it home. After that, we can either go our separate ways or we can remain friends; that is if Ginny and Hermione don’t kill all of us first for being so stupid” he chuckled, making Theo, Ron, and Neville chortle as well. “I would like to get to know you better, Theo. Just like I’m doing with Pansy. I’m sure everyone would like to. Don’t let us miss out on that opportunity, alright?” he half-smiled as Theo looked down at his hands before glancing back up to him.

“You-you honestly want to be mates?” he questioned in confusion before looking to Ron who had his arms crossed, as he was known to be the most difficult person to prove that one had changed to.

“Yeah, why not?” Ron smirked. “But…please don’t try to do this again. We may never be the of best friends, Nott, but that doesn’t mean we don’t care. You can always come to any one of us if you need someone to talk to. Just…don’t sleep in my bed without telling me first, okay? I already had a traumatizing experience with Parkinson, I really would rather not wake up to you as well…”

After releasing a small snort through his nose while wiping his face with his sleeve, Theo glanced at the three students surrounding him with hope in his heart.

“Thank you…”

“Don’t thank us” Harry claimed softly. “Friends look out for each other…no matter what. Come on now, let’s get back to bed before Mrs. Weasley see’s us. I don’t think any of us would wanna hear that scolding this late at night” he smiled warmly as he took Draco’s family ring out of Theo’s hand. “And just so this never happens again, I’m taking this and this book, and I’m charming the shite out them before giving it to Mrs. Malfoy to hide. This will never happen again; do you hear me?”

Theo nodded his head as Neville helped him stand while Ron cleared away the black candles with his wand. Harry patted the brunette Slytherin on the back a few times before the group of four slowly walked out of the library and back to their bedrooms.

Salem, August 2nd, 1692

Blaise stormed through the woods completely fed up with all the bullshite him and his group were dealing with. He was tired of the fighting, he was sick of the past, and he was over not seeing two people he knew would be a perfect couple, struggling to get together. He was going to fix this mess even if it meant binding both Draco and Hermione together until they could learn to get the hell along and stop causing unnecessary stress.

Spotting the blonde Prince leaning up against the boulder where Hermione had left him, still only in his boxer briefs, the dark-haired wizard marched over to him in determination. He was fully aware of the mental state his best mate was possibly in, but he had to make him understand as he apparently refused to hear the brunette Gryffindor’s side of things.

“What is wrong with you?” he yelled vehemently, though slightly louder than he intended to. “What the hell did you say to Hermione? She’s crying her bloody eyes out…again!”

“I said what needed to be said, Zabini!” Draco countered before shaking his head and rolling his eyes.

“Zabini? What the fuck, Draco?”

“Well when someone cuts deep into my leg without my permission, causing me immense pain as I BEGGED for them not to, I generally don’t consider them a friend anymore! A friend would have just let me fucking die like I wanted!” he snapped angrily.

Blaise stared at Draco in disbelief as he tried to wrap his head around what he had just heard, but unlike Hermione, he knew about the effects psychological damage could place on a person and he knew the Malfoy heir all too well. All Draco needed was a firm push to pull him back into the man he once was.

“If you think that’s what friendship is then you’re the daftest person I have ever met and also fuck…you!”

“Fuck me?” the blonde chuckled with raised brows while pointing a finger at his chest as he leaned forward off the boulder. “Fuck you, Blaise! Fuck you, fuck Granger, and fuck that little Weasel!”

“Wow…So, are you fucking us all at once or are we taking turns…?”

“Shut up, you dirty wanker!”

“Well this ‘wanker’ saved your damn life! Do you honestly believe that what I did was easy? To see you in so much pain and knowing that the only thing I could do was hurt you more before I could make you better? Do you think that was easy for any of us?”

“Do you think I care?” Draco rebutted callously. “Do you think I care about how you felt? I was the one in pain! I was the one suffering and you all let it happen! Because of you, Granger, and Weasley, I gave up! I WAS READY TO DIE AND YOU WOULDN’T LET ME!”

Blaise scoffed while crossing his arms as he licked his lips while staring at his friend with a tilt of his head.

“Why?” he inquired, knowing the Prince wouldn’t be able to answer as his morbid thoughts were more of just a feeling rather than him actually wanting it to happen.

“What? What the fuck sort of question is that?”

“An easy one, actually. You’re so adamant that you wanted to die and blame us for the feeling of abandonment, so answer me and tell me…Why? Why did you, or do you, or whatever, want to die?”

“Fuck you!”

“You already said that. Is that all you got? You were angry enough at Hermione to literally make her cry but all you can say to me is ‘fuck you’. I mean I’m not blaming you for being morose. You have every right to hate me and Red, seeing as we’re the ones who told Hermione to wait until morning.”

“What the fuck are you talking about?”

“Oh, that’s right!” he snapped his fingers before shaking his pointer in the air as if he was remembering something. “You probably never even let her defend herself as you most likely just screamed every emotion you’ve kept bottled up since she turned you down in Knockturn Alley” he jabbed ruthlessly. “Hermione wanted to save you the same night we found out you were taken, but Red and I said ‘no’ because we thought it was better to have a plan rather than to just storm the gates carelessly and risk everyone’s lives! She fought for you! She scared the ever-loving piss out of Ann Putnam and us; threatened to make her go insane if you died! You should have heard her, Draco…Red said she had never seen her like that, ever. Her magic sparked all over her body and her eyes…I’ve never seen someone’s eyes grow so dark before.”

“What’s your point? So, she scared a twelve-year-old child! Big deal?”

“Big deal? That girl never left your damn side since she rescued you! She prayed to that muggle God to take your pain away; did you know that? Did you let her tell you that? She wanted to pass it on to her, and Merlin, if Ginny hadn’t taken her wand away after what she did for you, she would have found a way to do a transfer spell o-or obliviate you!” Draco’s heart stopped when he realized that the prayer, he had heard escape from Hermione’s lips, was in fact real, and he suddenly felt overly confused. “Wake the hell up, Draco! She likes you and you have no right to be pissed at her! You wanna cry, go ahead; you wanna be livid, throw things, punch someone, lose your fucking shite, then you do that, but you do it at me! Not her…! But I’ll tell you what, mate, I know you; probably better than you know yourself. So, why don’t you tell me who you’re really pissed at, so we can all move forward.”

“You know perfectly well…who…” Draco struggled to stand as his anger grew more intense while cursing aloud as every muscle in his body ached violently, “…I’m pissed at!” Using the boulder to keep himself balanced, he flicked his hair out of his face as he glared at Blaise menacingly and tears stung his eyes.

“Who?” Blaise questioned.

“You!”

“You’re not! Tell me who you’re mad at!” he stepped forward with his fists clenched at his sides.

“I said, you!” Draco shouted, now with both hands on the rock, steadying himself.

“TELL ME WHO YOU’RE REALLY MAD AT!”

“YOU!” the blonde screamed as tears began to stream down his pale cheeks.

“STOP…LYING! STOP BEING SO DAMN STUBBORN!”

“I’M NOT LYING OR BEING FUCKING STUBBORN!”

“YOU ARE!”

“I’m not…” he whimpered while trying to hold back the sob wishing to escape his throat.

“Then what is it?” Blaise inquired with a hint of sadness in his voice. “What’s causing you this much stress that you would push us away, push Hermione away…? Pain…unimaginable pain? What they did to you…I am so sorry, but the world is full of brokenness, Draco…And we can either fill our coffins with the rocks they have thrown, or we could take those stones and build something great out of it. So, tell me…Who are you really mad at?”

“…Me…” Draco began to weep uncontrollably as his best friend’s heart shattered once more. “I-I let them take me…I-I couldn’t stop-I couldn’t stop them.”

“Exactly…” Blaise stated while taking a step forward. “You-couldn’t-stop them…That’s not on you, mate. It’s not your fault, it’s not mine, and it damn sure isn’t Hermione’s. It was those men. Those men who did precisely what you have done all your life…Judging someone, despising them for something they can’t change, and you hate yourself because it put you in every muggle-born you have ever belittled shoes…It put you in Hermione’s shoes…”

“I hate them…” the Slytherin Prince continued to bawl as his anger turned to sorrow and his thoughts focused on how much he loathed the two men who had tortured him. But his sadness quickly turned back into anger as the faces of John and Samuel beating him mercilessly filled his mind “I need to kill them…I have to kill them!” he stated adamantly while wiping his nose across his bare arm while the dark-skinned wizard sighed and licked his lips as his head bobbed up and down; knowing his next words would either make or break his whole reason for coming out into the woods in the first place.

“She already did that for you…” he admitted softly, causing Draco to flick his eyes to his friend in shock and confusion.

“What? What’d you say? Hermione’s never purposefully killed anyone. Potter made sure everyone knew how proud he was of her for being their rock and able to hold back when he and that Weasel wanted to lose control during their journey to defeat Voldemort.”

“Then she must really fucking like you because she single handily murdered your captors in cold blood, possibly changing the past in the process…You didn’t see her, mate. You didn’t see the pain behind her eyes; the heartache, the revenge... It was like it wasn’t even her anymore, like she was a completely different person. The tone in her voice…it was ruthless. Draco, she damaged her soul for you, and you didn’t even give her a chance to explain. I know what it’s like to be scared to show your feelings. My mother made it very difficult for me to trust people and Hermione…she was fighting a battle with herself because she knew that if she admitted she fancied you then it would make it real. And with your past…you can’t fault her for being confused and terrified.

“But she showed how far she was willing to go to save your life, to defend you like you have done countless times for her…Don’t you think she deserves a little more leeway? She already blames herself for what happened to you and fell into a deep depression because of it…and neither of us can seem to help pull her out. The only person who could save her is you and you pushed her away. I’m not asking you to fall in love with her or even be with her, but the least you could do is let her know you don’t blame her too. She needs you, just as much as you need her.”

Draco’s breath caught as Blaise explained everything to him while his heart beat rapidly within his chest. He felt like the biggest arse in the world for the things he had said to the brunette witch to purposely hurt her; to try and make her feel the same pain he was feeling, and silently prayed to anyone who would listen, that he wasn’t too late.

“Where is she…Where’s Hermione, Blaise?”

“She’s with Red in the tent…I’ll take you to her, but only if you promise to not scream at her for what she did to protect you. We don’t know yet if she altered anything by killing those men and threatening Ann-”

“I don’t care about the damn past, Blaise! I care about her…! Please take me to her. I need to talk to her; I need to explain that I was an idiot. I need to help her!”

“Okay, alright…” Blaise claimed while holding his hands in the air. “Let’s just hope her sadness hasn’t turned into anger yet and she hasn’t taken her rage out on the tent. That thing has come in handy as of late.”

“Blaise!”

“Okay! Salazar, just trying to lighten the mood…” he smirked while collecting the pajamas and towel from the ground before throwing Draco’s arm over his shoulders and began slowly walking him back to their campsite.

All the while, Ginny had calmed Hermione enough to stop her gut-wrenching sobs and was finally able to distract her with the history book. It wasn’t an easy task as the wavy-haired witch seemed inconsolable at first, but after a few minutes of uncontrollable crying and cursing the blonde Slytherin’s name, Hermione was finally able to take a breath while Blaise spoke with Draco. Though now the brunettes’ focus was solely set on finding something specific in the tome.

“Hermione?” Ginny began, concerned, as she watched her friend rapidly flip through the pages.

“It’s not here…None of it’s here…” the Golden Girl muttered when she stopped flipping and stared down at the book on her lap.

“What’s not there?”

“Everything!” she claimed while raising her puffy red eyes. “Malfoy’s capture, the two men I killed, Joseph and Julia…it’s not here. It’s like none of it happened…”

“Well, Mione, we’re still in Salem…”

“So? If we altered things, then it should have automatically changed in history.”

“Maybe it just needs some time. History most likely hasn’t caught up yet in order to show the change, if any. We’re still here so maybe we just have to wait and check it again next era. Assuming the timeline will stay moving forward.”

“No, something’s wrong…” the brunette shook her head before flipping once more through the pages, but this time at a slower pace.

“It might not be” Ginny stated with worry embedding her tone while reaching out a hand to stop the Gryffindor Princess before she began to cry again. “Look, Mione, I know you wanna know this instant if we fucked things up, but I think we’re just going to have to wait until we aren’t in 1692 anymore. Once we get to the next place, we can take a look at the book again, alright? There’s no use stressing over it right now.”

Hermione sighed heavily before closing the tome and setting it next to her before rubbing her hands down her face in defeat. Ginny watched her friend as a single thought burned in her mind and decided to take the opportunity to finally ask the question she needed to know since they began healing the Malfoy heir as the bookworm was now in a calmer state.

“Mione…Mione, what happened to all your potions?”

“What?” the brunette witch inquired while snapping her eyes to the redhead. “What potions?”

“You know what ones I’m talking about. I know you had plenty before we left for the museum, but when we were healing Draco…” she paused as her best friends’ breath caught in her throat. “Hermione, what happened to all the Draughts? I won’t be mad just…just tell me what you did with them.”

The curly-haired witch gazed at Ginny while her breathing accelerated, and a single tear fell from her lashes. However, Blaise’s sudden appearance in the entryway of the tent, pulled the red-headed Gryffindor’s attention to him as Hermione stared unseeingly in front of her. The dark-haired wizard tilted his head in order to tell Ginny he needed to speak with her, before stepping back outside to wait. Ginny reluctantly stood up as she licked her lips before ambling out of the tent to see what the Italian needed.

“I don’t want to leave her alone for long. Wha-” she stopped when she saw Draco standing sorrowfully behind Blaise and narrowed her brows in annoyance at him. “You’re a right callous git, you know that?” she whispered while shaking her head in irritation. “Why would you say those things to her? Do you know what she’s going through right now? How could-”

“He knows, Red” Blaise cut in while crossing his arms as Draco lowered his head in shame. “He knows what he did was a dick move and he’s here to fix it.”

“Why should I let him anywhere near her after the things he said to her? He broke her heart!”

“He had his reasons…” He stepped forward to whisper in her ear. “I’ll tell you later, but you have to let him speak with her. Please, love…Let him do this…”

Ginny glared at the blonde, who looked utterly dejected, and softened her shoulders before walking up to him.

“I swear to Merlin, if you hurt her again then what those muggles did to you will be nothing compared to what I will do, do you understand me, Draco? We went through hell and back to save you…Don’t make me regret it.”

“I won’t hurt again…” the Slytherin Prince responded wistfully while her eyes darted back and forth; studying him to make sure he was sincere. “Please just let me talk to her.”

She looked to Blaise for a moment, who nodded his head, before looking back to Draco and sighing.

“You should know she’s been abusing potions since before we arrived here” she admitted while pressing her tongue against the inside of her cheek. “Pain Potions, Sleeping Draughts, Dreamless Draughts, Calming Draughts…That’s why we couldn’t give you any to help you. She used them all to combat her nightmares from the war…”

“Please tell me you’re lying…”

“I wish I was, Draco…But I will tell you what I told her before we found out you were taken. I’ve noticed that the closer she sleeps to you, the less nightmares she has. Which means she used all the Draughts back in China and in Knockturn Alley as those were the only two times, she wasn’t near you.”

“Or she was taking them regardless if she was next to me or not…”

“That’s what I’m afraid of…If she’s out of them and she’s addicted, her depression could be a side effect of withdraw. I tried asking her about it, but she won’t tell me. If you fix this with her…I need you to-”

“I’ll figure it out, Red…But I have to repair what I broke first.” Ginny nodded her head as she exhaled softly before transfiguring a stick on the ground into a cane to help Draco walk without assistance.

“I’m trusting you, Blondie…” she claimed before stepping out of the way to allow the Prince to enter the tent.

Releasing a deep breath, Draco walked into the tent as Ginny placed a silencing charm at the entrance to give the pair some privacy. She and Blaise headed back towards the fire to finish cooking breakfast while keeping watch as Hermione stopped pacing back and forth in the center of the shelter and glared at Draco angrily.

“Get away from me, Malfoy!” she demanded as her hair began to spark and her fists clenched at her sides.

“Hermione…”

“Oh, so it’s Hermione now?” she snapped cruelly. “Trying to soften me up before blowing up on me again? What more can you say, Malfoy, that you haven’t already said? Oh, wait, you haven’t called me a Mudblood yet so there’s that…! I get it! I fucked up and you want nothing to do with me! You don’t need to come in here just to rub it in my face that I’m not wanted!”

“But I do want you…” he stated gently as the witches’ chest rose and fell rapidly. “I’ve always wanted you, Hermione. Ever since first year, I’ve only ever wanted you...I just didn't know it at the time. I was wrong to say what I did. I was an absolute arse and you didn’t deserve it. And…I would never call you that name again, you know that. I was angry at myself for getting caught by muggles, of all people, and I was pissed that you saw that memory at the manor. You were never supposed to know that I helped you. And-and I took that frustration out on you, on Blaise…I’m-I’m sorry.”

“Fuck you!” she adamantly claimed with narrowed brows. “You think saying that now is going to fix anything? You think that your ‘apology’ is just supposed to make it all better? I just wanted to help you and you shoved it back in my face like it meant nothing! So, no! Fuck…you, Draco Malfoy! Fuck you!”

“I deserve that.”

“You’re damn right you deserve it! I did everything I could to try and get to you as soon as possible! I risked EVERYTHING for you and all I get in return is you shouting at me, purposely trying to hurt me! If you wanna be mad about what happened in the barn, then I don’t blame you! I was a right arse! But to think that I would ever abandon you…That hurts more than any insult or callous thing you could ever say to me…”

“I know I hurt you, love…A-and I’m not expecting you to forgive me again. I don’t deserve another chance with you, I know that, but I am so sorry for the things I said and for lashing out. I really am, but you have to understand what I went through…I don’t care about the beatings I took; I care about the fact that I honestly thought you had left me. Those men told me you left town and at first, I didn’t wanna believe it. But then morning came and…and I don’t know, I just…I gave up. I gave up hope. But it was wrong of me to assume you didn’t care, even if Blaise didn’t tell me what you had done for me in that alley.”

“You…you know what I did?” she inquired as fresh tears spilled down her cheeks.

“Yeah…yeah, I do.”

“You weren’t supposed to find out…”

“And you weren’t supposed to know I helped you that day in my family’s manor. I guess that makes us even.”

“We are so not even!”

“You’re right. What you did for me means so much more and I should be thanking you…not punishing you” he stated while taking a few awkward steps forward, closing the large gap between them. “I know the self-hate you’re feeling for taking a life and I know how that can haunt a person. But I’m willing to do whatever it takes to help you through it. And…I am sooo proud of you for standing up for what you believe in, and I am terribly sorry that it had to come down that.” He bit his lower lip while raising a hand to cup her cheek tenderly. “I didn’t mean what I said, Hermione, and I really don’t want you to plead with your God to take my pain from me. I never would have learned what it was like to be in your position if I didn’t go through all that. And I would never wish my pain upon you, please believe me when I say that. You are worth every breath I take. I’m sorry for not giving you enough time to figure out what you wanted, and I will apologize all the way into the afterlife to make it up to you.”

“I didn’t want to leave you there…” she wept as he rubbed his thumb across her freckled skin.

“I know, love. Blaise told me everything…But I-I have to ask…Did you recognize those men? Have they come up in your book at all? Before everything went down?”

“No…And now that you mention it, I never heard of Julia or Joseph Hamman either. My book mentioned almost everyone in this town…”

“Okay…I-I just wanted to make sure. It’s-it’s easier when you don’t know them. Also proves you didn’t kill someone important that possibly made a great change or something in history. Would suck a lot for muggles if they were the inventors of vehicles or grocer stores” he chuckled nervously.

“The first patented Motor Car was invented in 1886 by Karl Benz and the first self-service grocer store was a Piggly Wiggly in 1916” she corrected while looking down at the floor.

“Oh…” he sulked slightly, though never removed his hand from her cheek. “Hermione…can…can we start over? Be friends again? I don’t wanna lose you in my life. I wouldn’t make it very far without you.”

“Why, because I know muggle facts that you don’t?”

“No…Because I can’t breathe when I’m away from you.” Hermione raised her watery brown eyes to his as he gazed sincerely at her.

“I…I was confused for a long time, but…I’ve decided that I don’t want to be your friend anymore” she claimed, forcing his lips to fall to a frown.

“Oh…uh okay.” He lowered his hand and took a step back. “I-I understand…I just wanted to let you know how sorry I was. I’ll leave you alone then…” He turned to hobble out of the tent when he felt a hand grab his bicep.

“No, Draco…” the brunette began as she rotated him back to face her. “I…I don’t want to be your friend, I-”

“I got it, Hermione” he declared with a sullen expression. “I messed everything up…again.”

“Will you let me finish?” she insisted as she gazed deeply into his soft grey irises. “I don’t want to be your friend.”

“I really don’t understand what-”

“You’re insufferable!” she groaned in aggravation. “You’re supposed to be smart!”

“Are you insulting my intelligence?” he questioned in offense as Hermione chuckled slightly before relaxing her shoulders.

“I’m questioning your intelligence right now, yes” she smiled while tugging his arm, bringing him closer to her, before reaching up as she stood on her tip toes, and connected her lips to his; shocking him in one swift motion.

Suddenly realizing what the Gryffindor Princess was trying to say, Draco closed his widened eyes and pressed his lips harder against Hermione’s as she brought her other hand up and cupped both sides of his face. If his heart beat any faster within his chest, he was sure it would burst from his skin. He never thought he would ever get this moment, especially after hurting her so badly, but he reveled in the tender kiss until all thoughts of the outside world disappeared. However, one thought did push through before he gently broke the blissful interaction and stared down at his smiling witch.

“What’s wrong?” she frowned when she thought he had changed his mind about being with her. “You only wanna be friends, don’t you?”

“Are you kidding me?” he claimed quickly before her logic ran wild. “Hermione, I’ve been dreaming of this day for a very long time. I never want to be just friends with you again.”

“Then what is it?”

“I-I know this is horrible timing, Princess, but…Red will have my dick cut off if I don’t come back to her with some sort of information.”

“Information? I-I don’t understand?”

Draco sighed as he ran his fingers through his hair and pinched his lips together as he thought about how he was going to go about his question without angering the Gryffindor.

“Hermione, love-”

“This is about the potions, isn’t it? It’s none of her business!”

“Love…we’re all worried. Those Draughts are highly addictive.”

“I know that!” she yelled while turning away from him. “I…” she exhaled sharply before rotating back around and slumping to her cot with a huff. “I didn’t take them…” she admitted calmly. “I never even packed them.”

“What do you mean you didn’t pack them?”

“It’s been a year since the war, and I didn’t think I should use them anymore. And we were going to a museum, I didn’t think I would need sleeping aids on a day field trip. I only brought one bottle of Calming Draught, hoping I would never need it, but I ended up using it after we were chased by that T-Rex. I took the potions Ginny had packed out because I didn’t want to have access to them. She doesn’t know it, but I gave most of my potions to Madam Pomfrey weeks ago and planned to give her the rest after the field trip.”

“So…you’re not abusing them?”

“No” she stated while resting her elbows on her thighs. “I would never do that. I know the risks.”

Draco limped over to sit beside to her on the cot and began rubbing her back as she leaned over and rested her head on his still bare chest.

“Okay, so we tell her that then. There’s no use trying to hide it from her. We both know she’ll figure it out eventually. Yeah, she may be mad you didn’t say something earlier but you’re right, it’s not her business. It’s not mine either but…I’m glad you told me. And I’m glad we’re okay.” When she didn’t say anything as he held her close, he stopped rubbing her back and glanced down at her. “We are okay, right? You didn’t just kiss me for shits and giggles?”

Hermione chuckled while lifting her head and placed another supple kiss upon his lips. He inhaled deeply through his nose as he caressed her cheek before the kiss broke and they pressed their foreheads against each other.

“I’d say we’re better than okay” she smiled warmly before pressing into him once more.

“Wait…” he began while reluctantly pulling away and biting his lower lip to hold on to the taste of her. “Are you sure you want this? I-I-”

“Draco,” she pressed a finger against his lips to shush him while staring deep into his searching eyes, “I want this. I’m not running anymore and I’m not letting logic keep us apart any longer. I promise…I want this.”

“Sooooo, does that mean…I’m like…your boyfriend now?” he raised a brow as he tested the new title upon his lips and realized how much he liked it.

“If that’s what you wanna call it, sure” she smiled warmly before bringing him back into a heated kiss.

Before he knew it, he and Hermione’s kiss grew deeper as she moved to carefully straddle him, without causing injury to his sore body, and cupped both his cheeks in her hands as he wrapped his arms around her waist. The taste of her tongue gently caressing his as her fingers entangled themselves in his hair, was so intoxicating that it sent an exhilarating wave of emotions coursing through his blood.

Unfortunately, the moment was interrupted as Ginny and Blaise stepped into the tent, worried the pair were hexing one another as they couldn’t hear anything through the silencing spell. Their sudden appearance startled the couple so badly that Hermione fell backwards off the blondes’ lap and onto the floor with a laugh.

“Oh, fuck!” Blaise exclaimed with a wide smile plastered on his face as Draco reached down to help the brunette up. “Well they’re definitely not hexing each other!” he chuckled while elbowing Ginny gently.

“Yeah, I can see that, Blaise” she snapped as she smacked him in the arm and Hermione retook her seat next to the Slytherin Prince. “Thank Godric his underwear is still on at least. Merlin!”

Draco glanced down at his boxer shorts and quickly covered himself with his arms when he realized he was seconds away from flashing everyone in the tent. Ginny snickered with a shake of her head before throwing him his pajamas she had cleansed for him, at his face.

“Hold on…” Hermione spoke in confusion. “How were we supposed to hex each other when you both have our wands?”

“You both can do wandless magic well enough” Blaise answered with a shrug of his shoulders.

“That doesn’t have the same effect” both Draco and Hermione stated in unison before bursting into a fit of laughter, causing Ginny and Blaise to raise their brows at them.

“Yuuup, they are definitely meant to be together” the Italian wizard claimed with a grin as he crossed his arms.

“So, are we good? Can we all eat breakfast without arguing?”

“Yes, Gin” the brunette replied while standing up and walking over to her friend. “Can I talk to you for minute?”

“Of course, Mione” she smiled as the bookworm began walking out of the shelter. Ginny turned around and gave Draco a curious look, and when he nodded, confirming that he did indeed ask the Golden Girl about the potions, she looked to her boyfriend and kissed his cheek before exiting the tent.

“Sooooo?” Blaise began once the girls were out of sight. “Are we okay?”

“How could you even ask me that, mate? Of course, we’re alright. I-I’m sorry for shouting at you.”

“Wait” he chortled while uncrossing his arms and moved to sit on Ginny’s cot in front of the blonde. “Did I just hear you right? Draco Malfoy…is apologizing…to me?”

“Don’t let it go to your head, Blaise. I just happen to be on a roll with apologizing today and in a very good mood” he claimed while shaking his head and laying back.

But something hard pushed into his back, forcing a groan to escape his lips. Pulling out the history book from under him, he sat up right and gazed down at the large tome. He ran his hand over the front cover as the thought of opening it to see if his almost demise was in it, when Blaise cleared his throat, bringing his attention to him.

“You’re not in it…yet. Or possibly not ever. We’re still not sure.”

“Whadda mean?” Draco questioned with narrowed brows.

“Red told me that Hermione already searched through it and found nothing. Almost like none of it happened. Not even Joseph and Julia are mentioned.”

“Well it makes sense, I guess…” Blaise raised a brow in confusion. “I mean we’re still here. The book most likely won’t change until we leave.”

“Red said that too…”

“But it is curious. If it doesn’t change after everything, knowing how much we impacted this town…then I have to guess that Salem didn’t want anyone to know.”

“Mind explaining your theory a little further…”

“Think about it, Blaise” Draco began while setting the book to the side of him. “Salem is famous for its witch trials, right?”

“Yeah. Everyone including people in our world know about it.”

“Exactly. Everyone knows. Which means the town wouldn’t want it getting out that an actual wizard escaped being hanged and his ‘fiancée’ murdered two people in the process. Ann Putnam and her friends would be utterly terrified of witches after Hermione threatened her and would still accuse people. Possibly much worse than she would have if you guys hadn’t cornered them. As for Julia and Joseph…they helped us. And if my assumptions are correct, Hermione said they were planning on heading back to England-”

“You think they actually did, and the people of Salem pretended they never existed. It’s bold but…that does make the most sense. We’re going to have to wait until the next era to really find out though.”

“Blaise…” Draco continued as he glanced down at the tome while a thought formed in his mind. “I-I think what happened…was actually supposed to occur…”

“I’m not following…”

“If I wasn’t captured, Hermione never would have threatened Ann or killed those men-men who she claims were never mentioned in her book beforehand. And Ann, yeah, she was a prissy little twat, but…” he licked his lips while he leaned forward and rested his elbows on his thighs. “If she was as bad as history says she was, then she had to have turned evil after the alleyway. Otherwise, she would have accused Hermione well before she found me in the barn, instead of lying and telling me she only saw her and was going to tell. I think if we didn’t show up, history as we now know it, never would have happened.”

“That’s really out there, Draco.”

“I know it sounds mental, but you have to admit it makes sense.”

“Yeah but I mean…I don’t know mate, it’s a wild theory that’ll be hard to prove.”

“I know. It just got me thinking.”

“Hey guys…” Hermione interrupted as she poked her head through the flaps of the entryway. “Breakfast is ready when you are” she stated sweetly.

“We’ll be right out, Buttercup. Draco here needs to get dressed. I would very much like to hold my food down while we eat” he chortled before standing up and smacking the blonde with the back of his hand lightly. “We’ll talk later, alright?” He then exited the tent, leaving the Prince to awkwardly redress into his pajamas while thinking over the conversation he had just had with Blaise.

XX

After a full day of catching Draco up on what he had missed, where he proudly hugged Ginny for using the techniques he had taught her back in the Ice Age, and the Prince got the rest he needed, the group sat around the small fire Blaise had made late at night before heading off to bed. Ginny laid tucked between her wizards’ legs as Hermione made sure the blonde was comfortable leaning up against a tree before taking a seat next to him. He was slightly fearful of being out in the darkened woods again, but with his friends and his girlfriend keeping him company, the anxiety he felt dissipated just enough that he could enjoy spending time with the people he’d grown to care a lot about.

“So, Blondie” Ginny chirped as she fiddled with the bottom of her tank top, “when were you going to tell us you could produce a Corporal Patronus?”

All eyes turned to the Slytherin, who was caught off guard, as his gaze lingered back and forth between the three.

“H-How did you-”

“Mione checked your wand after Julia found it in the woods” the redhead answered before Draco had a chance to finish his question. “And then Julia told us she saw it was an Owl.”

“A Eurasian Eagle Owl actually…” he smiled proudly while lowering his gaze to his hands. “And it was the first one I ever created…I-I didn’t even think it was possible…”

“Well I’m positive we all would love to see it one day” Ginny smirked happily. “I’m sure it was beautiful.”

“It was…” he claimed softly before looking at Hermione, who appeared extremely proud of him. However, a rustling in the trees behind Ginny and Blaise, startled the Slytherin Prince so much he feared he was about to be captured again, and began to panic while trying to scramble away.

“Draco! Draco, it’s alright!” Hermione declared while trying to calm him as the pair across from him stood up in shock. “Draco, love, it’s alright. It’s just Julia…” she stated as tears began to fall from his lashes. She began brushing the water away with her thumbs as she cradled his face in her hands and his breathing started to slow. “You’re alright, you’re okay…We will never let anyone hurt you again, do you understand me? No one is going to hurt you.”

“Is-is Mr. Draco alright?” Julia inquired gently as she leaned to her right to get a better look at the scared blonde shielded by Hermione. “I-I did not mean to frighten him.”

“He’s okay, Julia” the brunette responded, all the while never removing her gaze from Draco’s. “You’re okay” she stated warmly.

“May-may I see him?” the young teen questioned nervously. After getting a hold of himself and reigning in his troubling thoughts, Draco nodded his head softly before the bookworm helped him to sit up. Though as soon as he was righted and Julia was able to fully see him, he found himself laying back on the ground once more, as a loud grunt escaped his lips, when the small brunette muggle raced towards him and tackled him with a hug. “O, Mr. Draco! I am truly sorry! Tis all thy fault! I am so happy you are alright! Praise thee good Lord for watchin over you!”

The Malfoy heir pushed himself upright while still tightly hugging the teen in his arms as he smiled joyfully at the welcome he was receiving. He was delighted to see Julia again, but when he heard a soft sob in his ear, he pulled her back slightly, and gazed at her sullen face.

“Oh, Julia, darlin…” he began while wiping away the tears staining her pale skin with his thumb as she sat on his lap dejectedly. “None of this was your fault and I don’t want you to blame yourself for what happened to me.”

“I-I prayed every night for thee to be better…I did not know Ann would tell…”

“Precisely, little one…You didn’t know. You can’t control everything; you want to, but you can’t. It’s not tolerable, it’s not adequate or valid, and mainly…it’s not fair, but that’s life, Julia. Don’t blame yourself for this. None of it was your fault and whatever you do, please don’t let this stop you from being curious. You’ll miss out on so many great things if you let this haunt you” he stated while brushing a strand of her brown hair out of her face. “Learn for your mistakes but never allow them to control you, okay?”

“Yes, Mr. Draco…”

“I’m so happy to see you” he beamed before bringing the girl into another hug. “I’ve missed you!”

“I have missed you as well” she claimed before pulling back and looking up at the three sets of eyes watching them. “But…thy father has sent thee here to tell you he has found a man willin to take us back to England. We leave just before sunrise so that no one shall see us. I have come to say farewell for thyself and thy father, who be preparing the horses.”

“That’s wonderful news…” Hermione declared delicately. “Be sure to tell him how grateful we are for him…and for you.”

Julia stood up and rushed over to the brunette witch, who didn’t hesitate to cradle her in her arms, before breaking away to say goodbye to Ginny and of course her favorite wizard, Blaise.

“You be good, you hear?” the dark-hair wizard stated with a grin as he crouched down to the teens level and rested his hands upon her shoulders. “Don’t go trying to make friends with people who aren’t worthy, alright? If they can’t see you for the remarkably brilliant person you are, then they don’t deserve to get to know you. You are an amazing girl, Julia…Don’t ever let anyone tell you otherwise.”

“Alright…” she wistfully smiled.

“Promise?”

“I promise…”

“Good…Now let’s not keep your father waiting, alright? Stay safe, young lady” he winked, causing Julia to giggle before hugging him once more.

After saying goodbye to each one of them one last time, Julia sadly walked out of the woods, never to be seen again by the group sullenly watching her leave.

“If I don’t have a child just like her when I finally have kids, I’m going to cry myself to sleep every night until they leave me for Hogwarts…” Blaise claimed as a small tear trickled down his cheek. The first and only tear he had ever shed since he was a baby. Allowing his friends to know just how much he cared for the girl that had apparently left large footprints across his heart.

XX

The next day flew by relatively quickly as the group discussed the Malfoy’s heirs’ theory and the other eras they might encounter, while the sun was still high in the sky. It wasn’t until later that night they had decided, after Draco received plenty of rest and was healing rather well, that if they hadn’t received the next clue by the bewitching hour, they would move their camp further into the woods to put more distance between themselves and Salem.

Draco could now walk without assistance and the scars covering his back and arms were steadily disappearing, thanks to Blaise and his knowledge of new healing spells Hermione had never even thought of, but he was still sore in a few places. Though he was just thankful to be alive as the group began to pack up the tent since it was nearing midnight. Both he and Hermione had also finally received their wands back from Ginny, once she was certain they were mentally stable enough to wield them again.

Everything seemed to be going relatively well until Draco saw a faint glow emit from Hermione’s beaded bag resting on a tree stump and his heart stopped as he dropped the log in his hands. Rushing over to the bag, causing the rest of his group to stop what they were doing and race over as well, the blonde pulled out the amulet and lifted the parchment from under its open wings.

“What’s it say?” Blaise questioned with a slight impatient bounce in his step.

“Ooooh, fuck me!” Hermione proclaimed in annoyance; somehow deciphering the next era rather quickly while the rest of her friends eyed her in confusion.

“What’s the clue, guys?” Ginny requested while slumping her shoulders, causing Draco to look back down at the paper shaking within his fingers, and read the line aloud.

_“A fourscore war…but a war nonetheless…which side will you choose…in the war of the oppressed?”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Shout out your guess in a PM or a review! I wanna see what you guys think the answer is! A specific answer will earn you a shout out in the next chapter :) XOXO**


	15. The Price of a Prayer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Okay sooooooooo…I have exciting news for you all! First, I want to update you all on a recent change I have made to this fic. Originally, the third era was planned out as The America Wild West, somewhere in, well the West, haha. In any case, that era has been completely scrapped and replaced with a new, better, and even more interesting time period that is NOT in the United States. I obviously can’t reveal it yet, so you’ll have to wait for the clue. But I guarantee you will all love it…a lot…hopefully!**
> 
> **I am also doing a new story interaction, which is the other exciting news! Information will be posted at the end of this chapter so that this A/N doesn’t take up too much room, along with the Shout Outs I promised. So, don’t worry, my loves, I have not forgotten you!**
> 
> **Song inspiration: Angels Fall- Breaking Benjamin, along with the song quoted below. Never would have thought of the main scene in this chapter without these songs!**
> 
> **Also, to be nice: TRIGGER WARNING FOR THIS CHAPTER! I know I said I wouldn’t in the Content Warning, but I feel it’s necessary.**

_“I can feel you falling away, No longer the lost, No longer the same, And I can see you starting to break, I'll keep you alive, If you show me the way, Forever, and ever, The scars will remain”_

**-Give me A Sign- Breaking Benjamin**

Chapter 15- The Price of a Prayer

Salem, August 3rd, 1692

“Why is it in America, again?” Ginny inquired while throwing her hands in the air after Hermione had told them all half of the answer to the clue. “I said I wanted to visit this country in our time, when things are good! Not during the fucking Civil War! I thought Julia and Joseph went back to England? I don’t understand why another ancestor would return to this bloody country that has such a horrid past!”

“How the hell do we even know it’s the Civil War?” Blaise questioned while cradling the redhead in his arms. “All it mentions is ‘war’ three times.”

“Each clue so far has a subtle hint within it” Hermione answered as she glanced at the history book Draco had handed her. It didn’t take her long to find the passage she was searching for, and once she found it, she relaxed her shoulders in desolation. “Salem was easy as it mentioned witches, but if you’re not familiar with the famous speech given by President Abraham Lincoln, he said, and I quote, ‘Fourscore and seven years ago our fathers brought forth, on this continent, a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. Now we are engaged in a great civil war…’ The beginning of the clue was ‘A fourscore war…’ It’s without a doubt that war and it lasted…” she scanned the page for the dates, “almost four years, but…it was in multiple states”

“Fuck me!” the Italian cursed aloud in anger as the brunette closed the tome and handed it back to Draco.“So, we're going to be randomly dropped somewhere in a four-year time period? A period that has had Salazar, too many battles to count. No clue as to exactly what year? Are you sure?” he inquired, hoping the Golden Girl might be wrong because he had a strong feeling the next era was meant for him.

After he had put two and two together, when he realized Draco had learned to walk in those he had once abused shoes, Blaise was highly considering that each one of them was supposed to experience something as they all still had their fair share of flaws. Except for Gryffindors’ Golden Princess, who seemed exceptionally flawless. He honestly couldn’t think of a single lesson she could learn from any time period, besides more history. But he knew about the American Civil War as his mothers’ sixth husband, was adamant that he studied it in case he ever strayed into muggle territory. Luckily for him, he not only knew each battle well, but he was very familiar with the background of the era.

“As much as we all wish she wasn’t, honestly, anywhere is better than here” the blonde stated with a shrug; pulling the dark-haired wizard from his drifting thoughts.

“You say that until we actually get there…” Ginny despondently claimed as she backed away from Blaise and sighed heavily. “But once again, we don’t have a choice” she continued as she turned around to see the five-minute clock on the glowing green square, now reading four-minutes. “Who do we have to find?”

“Umm…’the one of knowledge, who does what they’re told’…” Draco answered as he flipped the parchment over to read the riddle.

“Fourscore and seven fucks to give!” Blaise shouted as he threw his hands in the air in contempt. “That means a fucking soldier, doesn’t it! They had to follow orders all the time! We’re going to be dropped in the middle of a bloody military base and I hate to break it to you all, but I’m fucking black!”

“Would you calm down!” Ginny requested as she looked to her wizard sullenly. “You’ll be fine. It could very well be anyone, Blaise. Like a teacher or something, at any given location. We were dropped in Salem away from the town, so for all we know the same could happen in this next place” she calmly stated as she caressed the Italians’ cheek tenderly with her thumb. “But we’re running out of time…We have to go…Do we have everything?”

“I just need my-” the bookworm began to state when the blonde handed her her bag. “Oh, thanks” she smiled warmly before tying it tightly around her wrist and then taking Draco’s hand in hers. “Wait! We have to change clothes!” Quickly pulling out her history book again, she rummaged through the pages as quickly as possible to search for Civil War civilian attire. Once she found it, in less than thirty seconds, she quickly charmed everyone’s clothing to fit the time period.

Putting herself in a maroon braided trimmed skirt, opting to not wear the large hoop to expand the garment, or the undergarments as they were itchy, she complimented the half dress with a simple white Garibaldi blouse and then placed Ginny in similar clothes but with a grey skirt instead, and laced boots. For the guys, she decided to place them in white button shirts with a band collar, though both boys kept the four buttons undone when they started complaining that it was choking them. She then put Draco in brown trousers and a black vest while Blaise sported black trouser with a charcoal grey vest. Once she had finished transfiguring their shoes to men’s laced boots, the timer in the center of the parallelogram told them they now had only one-minute remaining.

The group of four Hogwarts students took in a deep breath while mentally preparing themselves to be placed at any point during the four years of the American Civil War, and slowly stepped into the square. Unaware that one of their members would be mentally changed…forever.

Sunday, May 9th, 1999

“Alight!” Narcissa sighed with a weary smile as she stood in the middle of the library with her hands clasped together and six sets of eyes focused on her. “Hagrid will be here in about an hour to take you back to Hogwarts, so please make sure you all have your things packed and ready for the house elves to send on ahead. Professor McGonagall will meet you in her office when you arrive and has explained to the other students to not bother you once you return. All they know is that an emergency occurred and to not question any of you about it.” She paused for a moment as she glanced at Harry, while trying to control her emotions and not think about the visions he’ll ensue or the dangers her son could be in, when he left.

“Mrs. Malfoy? Are you alright?” Luna questioned sweetly, drawing the witch from her sullen stare that was making Harry slightly uncomfortable.

“Ehem, yes, Ms. Lovegood. Thank you” she inhaled quickly as she removed her eyes from the raven-haired boy and cleared her throat once more. “If-if the map changes, I will send an Owl to let you all know and Ms. Parkinson will do the same if Mr. Potter has another vision.”

“No disrespect, Mrs. Malfoy…” Ron interrupted with a raised finger, “but I think we’ve all grown close enough that you can call us by our first names. You don’t need to be so proper just because we’re leaving and it’s hard to say goodbye.”

“Ronald Weasley!’ Molly scolded in a half whisper. “You do not talk like that to an elder! I raised you better than that!”

“It’s quite alright, Molly” the Slytherin Queen smiled warmly. “He’s right…I do apologize, Ronald.”

“Yeeaahh…” he grinned with a half shrug. “We’ll miss you too.”

“You are always welcome in my home, Ronald…all of you are” she claimed with a twinkle in her eye.

As the students dispersed and talked among themselves while waiting for Hagrid to arrive by Floo, Thorfinn, Elizabeth and Molly, who were staying behind to keep Narcissa company, talked about where the children could possibly end up next, when the map on the wall unexpectedly began to flip forward through the decades. Everyone’s attention turned to the stage as the blood pool flowed around the United States before coming to an abrupt halt and the numbers ceased to move. Stepping up to see the map better, Harry gazed at the location before his sights turned to the year.

“Pennsylvania…? 1863” he claimed before slowly turning around. “What happened in Pennsylvania eigh-teen-si-” Unfortunately the Gryffindor Prince never finished his question as he suddenly froze in place and his eyes went white before rolling backwards. He almost fell off the stage as his body collapsed forward, but Thorfinn saw the vision coming as Harry’s words began to slur and rushed to the front of the Library as quickly as he could; catching the young wizard before he face planted hard against the tile.

July 2nd, 1863

Hermione blinked a few times to adjust to the darkness surrounding her before slowly standing up and looking around. Noticing no one had landed with her, she began to panic, and was about to call out for her friends when the faint sound of gunfire resonated louder in the air. Whipping her body around as she tried to pinpoint where the shots were coming from in the darkened woods, her breath grew heavy and her heart began to race fast within her chest.

Taking a few steps forward when she spotted flickers of light, hoping it was a town where someone could tell her where the hell she was, she began to race in that direction. However, she abruptly stopped when male voices could be heard laughing a few meters to her right. Peeking around a tree while keeping her body hidden, she saw two grimy and unkempt Caucasian men, sitting by a small stone fort with tin cups in their hands. She couldn’t see them very well, but at least she knew she dressed the guys somewhat properly. Unfortunately, for the Golden Girl, simply searching for her group, she never noticed the full details of the outfits the soldiers were wearing and thought that maybe one of them was the ancestor they were supposed to find. Taking a chance that they could possibly help her, she exhaled sharply before stepping out into the open.

“Pardon me?” she began nervously, startling the two men and causing them to hastily stand. One had light brown hair and was slightly shorter than the other, whose dirty blonde curls were loose and darkened by what appeared to be a black powder of sorts.

“Who are you?” the dirty blonde questioned sternly as the second man flicked his gaze up and down Hermione’s body.

“I-I think I may be lost…” the Gryffindor Princess claimed tensely.

“I should say” the blonde man chuckled as the second whispered in his ear. But the atmosphere began to change, and Hermione no longer thought the idea of asking where she was, was a good idea. “What you doin lost out in the middle of a war, little Miss? One of your stature shouldn’t be wanderin ‘bout the woods all by their lonesome. Ain’t safe out ‘ere.”

“War?” she whispered aloud to herself as her mind ran a thousand miles per minute trying to decipher exactly which battle, she had arrived close to. “I must have strayed too far…If-if you could just assist me with the best path, I should take to get away from here. I would be forever in your debt…”

“Sure, little lady…” he smirked mischievously while taking a step forward. “You be wantin ter head thadda way.” He pointed North behind him with his thumb as he licked his lips disgustingly.

“Th-Thank you…” she uttered as she slowly made her way around the two soldiers eyeing her like she was the last meal any of them would have.

When she heard them laugh while going back to what they were originally doing before she had interrupted them, Hermione began to open her bag and fumble for her wand. She didn’t trust the situation and wanted to make sure she had protection in case she encountered any more creepy individuals. But as she pulled out the Vinewood, a sharp pain engulfed her right bicep as one of the men gripped her arm hard and threw her to the ground.

“I think I may have given ya the wrong directions, Miss” the solider grinned cruelly; showing his horrific yellow teeth as the brunette witch scrambled backwards. “Where ya think you goin?

Realizing she had dropped her wand when she fell, Hermione began to search through the leaves and twigs for it. But as the second solider walked up to his partner, stepping on the magical stick and forcing it into the ground, she abandoned her mission and continued to scoot backwards until her spine pressed firmly against a tree. The taller of the two, stalking over her, quickly grabbed her ankle and dragged her towards him before she could even utter a wandless spell. She twisted her body and scratched at the dirt in an effort to crawl away while kicking as hard as she could. Unfortunately, during the tug-o-war, she ended up scrapping her palms, elbows, stomach, and right knee painfully against the debris riddling the forest floor and cried out as blood began to seep from the wounds. However, the brown-haired man swiftly gripped her up by the hair before backhanding her across the face hard enough to stun her still for a moment.

“We’ll be collecting on that debt now” he whispered malevolently into her ear as tears began to stream down her face.

“Please!” she begged while holding both her hands against his to prevent him from tugging harder on her hair. “I-I have money! I’ll give you all my money a-and I won’t say anything, I promise! Please let me go!”

“We don’t want no money…” the blonde soldier sneered. “It’s been awhile since we’ve seen such a…beautiful…delectable girl in such tight duds” he proclaimed while gripping at his hardened crotch and causing bile to rise in the witch’s’ throat as she tried to focus on any spell, she could perform to remove herself from the situation. But her head was pounding, making it hard to concentrate on anything except the men speaking before her, and she didn’t want to risk apparating due to revealing her magic to muggles or possibly splinching herself. “But I do enjoy a woman who begs…”

“Not ‘ere, Edward!” the brown-haired man argued as Edward began to undo his belt. “You want ter be caught by the Lieutenant Colonel! We’ll be beaten and taken to the Briggs if they find us with a woman!”

“Better the Briggs than out there!” he countered venomously while pointing towards where the sounds of gunfire, screams of dying men, and cannons blasting into the air still reigned.

“I ain’t riskin it!”

“Fine, Thomas! We will take ‘er elsewhere!” the tall man retorted as he grabbed Hermione by the left bicep and hauled her to her feet.

They began to walk the witch towards the flickering lights she had seen earlier as panic settled in the pit of her stomach and she quickly whispered a tripping jinx Draco had prided himself in using on Harry fifth year. The man holding her suddenly fell to ground, releasing his hold, and allowing her to dart towards the campground while screaming for anyone to help her. However, Thomas hastily tackled her into dirt and clamped a hand over her mouth to shut her up before turning her over and backhanding her again, causing a bright red contusion to form across her right cheek. He then promptly yanked her to her feet and pressed her hard against a tree, forcing a gasp to escape her cut up lips.

Bringing his face close to hers, he sniffed her hair before beginning to lick her neck, making the Golden Girl wince in disgust as his erection pushed hard against her navel. Regardless, the man was apparently dumb enough to not pin her legs against the rough bark scratching at her back as he eyed her beaded bag before tearing it from her wrist. In one swift motion, Hermione lifted her left leg and kneed the brunette as hard as she could, forcing him to cry out in pain as he dropped the bag and fell to the ground while holding his dick in both hands. Once more she began to scream as she stumbled and ran towards the camp, but Edward had already regained his footing from his previous fall and quickly caught up to the Gryffindor Princess.

Gripping her hair tightly in his hand, he began to drag her through the muddied terrain behind him as he walked closer to the edge of the woods, before throwing her forward and pulling out a few of her locks in the process. Hermione cried significantly as she rolled on to her belly and tried to crawl on her hands and knees, away from the man, however, it did nothing to aid her in her attempt to escape again. Edward slowly walked up to her and laughed at her struggling to free herself from the situation she had found herself in, before gripping her up again and forcing her to stand with her back pressed firmly against his chest.

She could feel the strong breaths he took as he ran his nose over her left ear while he gently caressed the skin of her neck with his calloused fingers. He reeked of smoke from a burning fire, almost as if he had laid on charred wood for hours. And the scent of whiskey mixed with a foul body odor, caused the Gryffindor to gag as the stench burned her nostrils; a clear sign the man hadn’t bathed in weeks, possibly even months.

As she struggled to break free from his grasp, he put her into a painful choke hold, resulting in her lashing out with her feet as she tried to breathe through the pressure against her throat. However, before she could slip from his arms, he promptly removed his belt from the loops of his trousers and secured it around her mouth. He then clasped a hand over her lips as he leered at her.

“Row with me and I will kill ya…” he whispered threateningly into her ears as she whimpered in agony and he cupped her left breast with his vile hand. “Scream, and I shall slice this pretty little neck of yours ‘fore even a sound can emerge…Understood?”

Hermione nodded her head as tears continued to stream down her cheeks and through the leather that bound her mouth, while Thomas regained his composer, stormed over to the duo, and uppercut her directly in the stomach, before binding her hands with his own belt.

“I haven’t seen a woman fight back this ‘ard since that copper-headed dame we picked up before we shipped out ‘ere” Thomas boasted as Hermione fought to breathe through the aching discomfort below her solar plexus. “I changed my mind. I have a hanker ter bed ‘er right now!”

“No!” Edward whispered so the men talking in the campground wouldn’t overhear. “We need privacy…” He quickly glanced around at a few tents, made to sleep up to at least six people, stationed near the forest line before picking one out to the right that appeared to have no one surrounding it. “There!”

Dragging the muddied bookworm to the tent a few meters away, woefully by her bicep, the curly blonde muggle threw her inside as a dark-haired man sitting on a cot, minding his own business in the shelter, raised his dark eyes in surprise while slowly lowering the spoon in his hand.

However, no one noticed a brunette soldier, a few tents down, watching in disgust as he debated on whether or not tell the Captain of his squadron, what he had just witnessed. He wasn’t known for being a snitch and he normally kept to himself as others went about their business, seeing as he didn’t even want to fight in the damn war in the first place. But after witnessing two of his fellow infantrymen drag an unknown woman, who he was also questioning on where the hell she’d even came from, out from the woods, he strongly considered speaking up. Although, the idea of not interfering when he could just stay silent and live to see another day to continue his mission in life, played heavily on his mind.

“Ahh fuck, Marshall! What you doin in ‘ere?” Thomas inquired in irritation as he stepped into the tent after Edward.

“I’m eaten! What the hell does it look like I be doin? What you got ‘ere?” Marshall questioned while titling his chin at Hermione cowering in tears on the ground.

“A fighter lost in the woods, believe it or not. She be a sweet little thing. Smell sweet too.”

“After the beatin ya gave ‘er, she don’t look to be smellin too sweet no more. But I’d be willin to pay a fair price…How much?”

“We ain’t sellin ter ya! She ours!”

Marshall set his bowl down and slowly stood before walking over to the witch and crouched down.

“Well if ya ain’t sellin, then I want in. Less you like the General to be findin out you brought a woman into camp…Mans got needs too” he claimed while rubbing his hardened length pushing against the fabric of his trousers.

“You may have a turn once we be done with ‘er” Edward declared with his arms crossed. “We found ‘er so we get first rights.”

“Fine…I don’t mind waitin. I like ‘em betta when they broken in anyway.” With that, Marshall gripped Hermione up by the hair as she let out a distressing yelp and threw her onto the cot to the left of the entrance. He then quickly sniffed her neck and closed his eyes as he took in her savory aroma while his hand steadily lifted her dress; running his finger across her bare skin. “She missin a few undergarments, like she be wantin it…” he smirked callously. Trembling as he lowered his head down to her leg, she felt him lick up her thigh before biting hard enough to cause blood to drip from the fresh wound as she groaned in agony through the belt in her mouth. “She taste sweet too” he claimed as his fingers lightly trailed closer to her center and he licked his lips in satisfaction. But the Gryffindor Princess was not having it and began to hit the man with the sides of her fists, as her hands were still bound, until the two men ripped Marshall off her and growled in anger.

“We told you! She ours first!” Thomas roared.

“You gone fuck ‘er in my tent, then I needed at least a taste!”he argued as he wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.

“Ya got your taste, Marshall!” Edward claimed as he began to undo the buttons on his trousers. “Now it be my turn…”

Sunday, May 9th, 1999

Rowle quickly laid Harry down on the floor and began to check his vitals as Ron hastily summoned a book to search for the time and place his best friend had mentioned. Skimming through the pages as fast as he could while Theo also did the same, the rest of the group began to surround the Gryffindor Savoir as Elizabeth stood frozen in place.

“Mrs. Granger…?” Pansy began to question when she noticed the mother had not moved. “Are-are you alright?” Elizabeth slowly raised her watery eyes to the Slytherin girl as her breath caught in her throat. “You know…don’t you? You know what happens in that year…” Everyone stopped what they were doing and gazed at the muggle, whose bottom lip was trembling violently while Pansy slowly walked up to the woman and placed a soft hand upon the side of her shoulder. “Mrs. Granger…?”

“Penn…Pennsylvania…1863…” the brunette began as her chest rose and fell haltingly and a single tear fell from her lashes. “The bloodiest battle of the American Civil War…They’re in The Battle of Gettysburg…”

“What do you mean ‘in’ the battle?” Neville inquired adamantly yet gently at the same time. “You’re s-saying they landed directly into an ongoing war? A battle you’re claiming is the bloodiest?”

But Elizabeth never got the chance to answer as Harry’s chest rose into the air while he inhaled a large breath and his vision…was suddenly thrown through time.

Slowly standing up as his ears rang and the noise around him was muffled due to something exploding next to him, Draco wobbled as he stood like he was in a daze after taking hit to the face. Shaking his head as his vision cleared of the blurriness, and the ringing in his eardrums subsided, he took in the sight surrounding him as panic filled every inch of his body and the sounds of screaming deafened the air. Every direction he glanced in there was bloodshed, death, horses stampeding the earth, and violence as men of all ages and in different military attire, attacked one other in the night while gunfire rang throughout the atmosphere. He ducked a few times as he stumbled while trying to escape the all-out war, before someone tackled him into the ground just as a cannon shattered into the soil near him. He began to fight the person on top of him before realizing it was Blaise and ceased his punch just inches from his best friends’ face.

“Oh, thank Merlin!” he breathed out; not that anyone could hear him over the conflict and warfare consuming the land.

“WHERE’S HERMIONE?” Blaise shouted over the chaos and noise of the battle as he helped Draco to his feet and Ginny dodged to the left to avoid being hit by a crashing projectile ball as she raced towards them in a panic.

“SHE’S NOT WITH YOU?” Draco replied before twisting his body to search for the brunette in the faces of the thousands of wounded and bloodied soldiers.

“NO!” Ginny yelled over the drowning noise. “WE THOUGHT SHE WAS WITH YOU!”

“DRACO!” Blaise screamed while grabbing a hold of his friends’ arm. “THIS IS THE BATTLE OF GETTYSBURG! THE BLOODIEST BATTLE OF A-” the three ducked before the Italian could finish as another cannon exploded near them and bullets blew past them; just barely missing their target as they ran for cover. Dragging both Draco and Ginny behind a low stone fort, propped up in the center of the battle, the trio pressed their backs up against the rocks as the redhead covered her ears and the Slytherin Prince brought out his wand. “This battle has the largest number of casualties in the entire war! It was considered the turning point in the conflict!” the dark-skinned wizard continued to shout as he moved his position to face both his friends. “If she’s out there, then we need to figure out a way to find her and fast! Right now, we’re on the Union side! Which is considered the good side!”

“How the fuck do you know that?” Draco bellowed as he covered both ears with his hands; his wand pointing upward as it pressed hard against his skin.

“My mother’s sixth husband, remember? Now focus!” he snapped his fingers and exhaled a sharp breath. “The Union, North, is fighting the Confederates, South; the evil racist, slave owning, bigots! Like Death Eaters-no offense, mate!” he quickly added when Draco began to scowl at him. “Anyone not in navy blue is on the opposing side-”

“Okay, so where’s Mione?” Ginny shouted above the noise before yelping loudly as a bullet flew over her head.

Having had enough of the history lesson in the middle of a muggle war, the blonde quickly stood up and was about to run and search for their missing member when Blaise instantly pulled him back down. But Harry could feel the resentment brewing in the Malfoy heirs’ blood and he felt the strong urge to punch the Italian in the face, radiating through his body.

“Don’t be bloody stupid!” the dark-skinned wizard scolded.

“I have to fucking find her, Blaise! I don’t care who I have to go through to fucking do it! I will find her, and I will make damn sure she’s alright!”

“I’m not letting you go it alone nor am I going to let you just run out there with no protection! We have no idea where she is, so why don’t we come up with a plan fir-”

“You tried that with me, remember?” the Malfoy heir snapped venomously. “Didn’t really work out now did it!” he yelled, though more as a statement than a question and Harry silently agreed. However, the threesome was quickly caught off guard as a man on a horse galloped past them and reared his steed when he suddenly caught a glimpse of the trio hiding. He opened his mouth to tell them to get out of there when he caught a bullet to the head and immediately fell from the animal.

“You have a better fucking idea?” Blaise shouted as he slowly turned his eyes away from the deceased Union serviceman, bleeding out into the dirt.

Draco stopped for a moment as the memory of Hermione using her wand to find Blaise in the woods of Salem, raced to the forefront of his mind. “Actually…” Raising his right hand, he laid his wand flat across his palm and whispered the Locator spell. As his friends watched the wood spin radically in a circle, he held his breath as gunfire continued to surround them. But it only took a few seconds for the wand to halt and point crookedly behind him.

“Fuck…” Blaise breathed out when he realized the wand was pointing in the direction of the Confederates’ side. However, he and Ginny never had the chance to say another word as the blonde hastily scrambled to his feet and began running at full speed through the pandemonium that was inevitably Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

Ginny quickly rushed after the blonde as Blaise had a look of sheer frustration embedded in his features as he growled and held his hands up as if to strangle the life from the pair. Shaking away the aggravation of Draco not listening to him, he began running after the duo racing through the bloodshed with their wands held firmly in their grips, without thinking to protect themselves in any way beforehand.

Draco had jumped over more dead bodies then he could count as he dashed through disorder and madness, but the sorrow he felt for a few men that looked much younger than himself, was pushed from his mind as the thought of Hermione in turmoil engulfed his senses. He was determined to find her even if that meant almost dying in the process as bullets shot passed him and agonized sounds of tattered men and horses blasted apart by cannon shrapnel, radiated the air. He didn’t even know that both Blaise and Ginny were following steadfast behind him as he avoided being hit by multiple crashing iron balls; thankful his Seeker skills were intact as his aching muscles screamed at him to stop.

Multiple Confederates rushed at the trio, on foot and on horses alike, as the group made their way through their territory, and each one of the soldiers were met with fists to the face or a swift kick to the groin from Ginny, as a hoard of infantryman in all grey, blocked their path into the woods where the Prince’s wand had guided them. The men had no idea who the three people were, but they knew they didn’t belong as they had a woman among their small cluster in a full-scale war zone. And the fact that they were effortlessly pushing through the front line, deeper into the Rebels’ region, had them convinced that the Union had sent their best to try and take them down.

But Draco wasn’t about to let inferior males prevent him from finding his girl and threw a Bombarda charm directly at the Confederates’ feet; denting the earth while allowing dirt and debris to fly into the air as if a bomb had just gone off; throwing them backwards as he cleared a path and jumped over the gaping hole he had created. Unfortunately, in the process, his exploding enchantment stunned both Blaise and Ginny, who had halted rather quickly and lost track of the blonde racing into the woods.

As the soldiers lay on the ground groaning in pain while trying to figure out what the hell had just occurred, Ginny preformed a Locator charm on Draco as gunfire continued to surge around her. Once she had figured out the direction he was headed, she and Blaise continued their pursuit. But just up ahead the Slytherin Prince stopped running when he caught a glimpse of the famous beaded bag resting by a tree, with no signs of Hermione in the vicinity. Calling out for her as he scrambled in his search, a female cry cut through the sounds of the war happening behind him, like a knife slicing through butter, causing both Harry and Draco’s hearts to drop as he looked in the direction the noise echoed from.

He picked up the bag before racing as fast as his body would allow, towards flickering lights, that appeared to be a camp of some sort. During that time, Ginny and Blaise had finally made it into the woods after having to find an alternate path thanks to the blondes’ explosive charm taking out a good portion of the land and had to stop once more as the Malfoy heir was nowhere in sight. But as Blaise took a step forward and felt an abnormally hard and awkwardly shaped object under his shoes, he looked down out of instinct and titled his head before parting his lips in shock.

“Red…” he called out as he picked up the stick half buried in mud. “Please tell me this isn’t Hermione’s wand…?”

“Oh, Gods!” the redhead panicked as her eyes began to water and she spun around in an effort to figure out where her best friend had gone, when shouting could be heard reverberating off the trees. “Draco…” she whispered with wide eyes as she gazed at Blaise, who was breathing heavily as a sense of utter fear washed over him.

“Oh, come on!” the Italian exclaimed while throwing his head back. “Please have not killed someone already!” he groaned before taking off towards the Confederates’ campground with the redhead following swiftly behind him.

All the while, the brunette soldier doing his best to mind his own business as he tried to read his book by a small flaming torch, glanced at the tent he had witnessed his fellow infantrymen enter with a woman not long ago. He expected to see others trying to take a peek at the arduous sounds emitting from the shelter, but instead saw a strange blonde in civilian attire, stop just outside the entrance with a stick gripped tightly in his left hand. Raising a curious brow, he watched as the young man stormed into the shelter and could have sworn, he saw sparks emitting from his hair. However, when a dark liquid splattered against the fabric of the encampment, he quickly stood in surprise, dropping the tome in his hand, as shouting began to fill the bivouac.

Draco’s’ chest rose and fell quickly as he stood just outside the tents’ entryway; ignoring the soldiers who might have seen him as he tried to figure out where Hermione was. But when a loud struggling whimper could be heard directly next to him, he turned his attention to his right as a mixture of worry and anger engulfed him. Having had dealt with Death Eaters taking woman against their will, in his own home, in the past, the Slytherin Prince knew all too well what was happening inside the shelter as a darkness began rise to the surface within him. Gripping his wand tightly at his side, Draco’s eyes darkened to an unnatural charcoal color, while his magic began to spark, and an immense hatred filled both his and Harry’s soul.

With narrowed brows of animosity and a scowl so terrifying it would make even the bravest of villains cower in horror, the blonde slowly stepped into the tent as Harry feared for the lives of whomever was inside. Hermione sobbed as she struggled against the men that had painfully bound her hands and spread her legs, bruising her thighs and wrists as Edward knelt in front of her on top of the cot, half naked. His trousers and undergarments splayed across the floor as he lifted her dress and ripped the modern underwear from off her body while preparing himself to enter her. He stroked his length as the men around her savagely laughed, and Thomas ripped at her blouse to expose her bra. She bucked her entire body as she fought to get them off her, but it was sadly not enough. Unbeknownst to any of them, a tall malice shadow emerged from fabric flaps, forcing the soldiers to regret ever laying a finger on the Gryffindor Princess.

Slashing his wrist effortlessly through the air, Draco watched as the man on top of Hermione froze, just as he was about to perforate the exposed core of the witch, with widened eyes. Thomas glanced up at Edward with a smile plastered on his face as he waited for his comrade to penetrate the fighting brunette, however, his grin slowly began to fall as the curly-haired blonde refused to move.

“Edward…?” he questioned in confusion as a thin red line appeared across the front of the mans’ neck. “Edward?” he tried again, but the dirty blonde never uttered a word before his head slowly slid off his neck and down to the floor beside them, allowing blood to pulse from his gaping arteries and splatter on the side of the tent and those surrounding him before falling off the Golden Girl with a hard thud.

Thomas scrambled backwards in absolute horror before turning his head to the entrance as Marshall began shouting at the intruder and searching for his gun. Though Draco never let the brunette man release even a whimper before slicing his throat with his wand mercilessly. Thomas gurgled as he gripped his trachea and blood pooled down his chest as the Slytherin spotted the gun Marshall was searching for, propped up against the wall of the closed canopy, directly next to where the light-haired brunette was trying to cling to life. Picking the weapon up as the dark-haired man scowled in anger at him, Draco studied the edges of the sharp bayonet attached to the barrel, before slowly turning his black eyes back to the soldier.

Marshall began to charge at the invader of his sleeping quarters, who was smiling ruthlessly, in an effort to tackle him, but as soon as he reached the Malfoy heir, he halted in place with his arms outstretched. Staring directly into Draco’s’ dark eyes, which were scrutinizing him up and down in disgust, Marshall lowered his gaze to the lance sinking deep into his abdomen. The blonde pushed the bayonet in further, causing a grunt to escape the Confederates lips’, before removing the blade and watching as the man sunk helplessly to the floor. Tossing the gun to the side, he looked back at the muggle holding his stomach as blood spilled from both his lips and the wound, before reaching out with both hands and snapping his neck in one quick, fluent, motion.

Hermione’s whimpers brought the Slytherin back down to reality and he immediately raced over to her after shaking away the darkness that had enveloped him. However, when he reached out to touch her, after kicking the deceased Rebel out of view, she scooched closer to the edge of the cot away from him, the best she could, as blood covered her skin and dress. Draco quickly pointed his wand at her to repair her underwear, fix her dress, and remove the belts covering her body before trying to reach out for the witch again. But the bookworm didn’t go to him like he had thought she would, and instead began attacking him while thinking he was just another soldier wanting to rape her.

“Hermione…” he yelled while trying to block her surprisingly powerful blows. “Hermione, stop! It’s me-it’s Draco! I’m not going to hurt you!” The curly-haired witch, however, didn’t hear him through her desperate attempts to escape and continued to punch and kick him the best she could. Though having had enough of being hit repeatedly, and painfully as well, the blonde quickly pulled the bookworm into his strong arms and held her as she struggled against him while screaming in his ear. “Hermione, I’m right here! You’re alright! I’ve got you!” But no matter what he said, she ignored him as she relentlessly tried to free herself from his grasp.

“Princess…” he stated calmly; his last saving grace in an effort to remove her from her panic driven condition, shattering Harry’s soul in the process. It seemed however, that the sound of his voice saying the nickname that only he had ever called her, was enough to pull her back to him. Hermione suddenly halted her strife as she breathed heavily into his ear, breaking the blondes’ heart as she lowered her head and began crying onto his neck. “I’m not going to hurt you, love…No one is ever going to hurt again…” he softly spoke while stroking her hair and holding her close. Picking her up bridal style as she fastened her arms tightly around his neck, the blonde turned around to see Blaise and Ginny standing in the entrance of the tent, staring at the two bodies he had brutally slain, with slumped shoulders of disappointment.

“You just had to kill them, didn’t you?” Blaise inquired while pinching his lips inward.

“They tried to fucking rape her!” Draco retorted as the brunette witch clung harder to him, making both of his friends’ eyes widened in a mixture of shock and confusion.

“What?” Ginny gasped in utter surprise before the Prince stepped off to the side to show the headless half naked man slumped over behind him.

“Please tell me you’re lying…” the Italian stated dejectedly. “Tell me you’re fucking lying!” he shouted in absolute anger before kicking the corps next to him in a fit of rage.

But as he kept kicking the body of Thomas in sheer animosity, Ginny began to cross the tent to check on Hermione, who had her bruised and bloodied face buried deep into Draco’s collar bone, when the sound of foreign voices, just outside of the tent, stopped her cold in her tracks.

“You said a scuffle?” one man, who sounded rather authoritative, questioned.

“Yes, Lieutenant Colonel Taylor, sir. I heard shouting coming from that tent there. Sounded like a row was happening, sir.”

“And you are certain you saw a negro man enter with a woman?”

“Yes, sir! Saw with my own eyes, sir. Should I notify General Lee?”

“No. I will let him know after inspecting the situation for myself. You are dismissed.”

“Shite!” Ginny exclaimed as she quickly looked around, knowing they didn’t have enough time to exit the tent, before flicking her wand, silencing Hermione cries, and disillusioning herself and her group.

The blonde slowly stepped back while praying he didn’t trip over the body behind him as Walter H. Taylor, the key aide to General Robert E. Lee, walked into the tent with two high ranked men at his side, and stared in consternation at the bodies of the three soldiers bleeding out onto the ground.

“Find them!” he ordered sternly as he glanced around at the blood-soaked grisly mess before him. “FIND THEM NOW!” he demanded with clenched fists before storming out of the tent as Harry Potter unexpectedly was pulled from Draco’s body and back into the present.

The Gryffindor Savoir quickly sat up as a rush of emotions shook his entire body. His hands hovered in front of him as he tried to wrap his mind around everything before placing his palms firmly against his temples in sickness.

“Harry?” Pansy softly spoke while his breathing grew heavy and tears filled his eyes.

“Is-is it Draco?” Narcissa questioned in utter fear that something had once again happened to her son.

“Blaise?” Thorfinn inquired when Harry didn’t answer, knowing that the Civil War was mainly fought over slavery. Although the rest only found out thanks to Theo and Ron researching it as quickly as possible during the vision.

But Elizabeth slowly walked around the group knelt on the floor, examining the raven-haired boy, and looked down at Harry with a trembling jaw. It was a mothers’ instinct that caused her to have an agonizing feeling that her daughter was the next one to be tried.

“Harry…” she spoke low, causing everyone to glance at her, including The-Boy-Who-Lived. Dread was all that was readable on Harry’s face as he gazed up reluctantly at the muggle standing before him and a single tear fell from his black lashes. “…What happened?” she pressed while a wave of fear and anxiety made her body quiver as she awaited an answer.

“Con-Confederates…” he began with a shaky voice. He didn’t want to answer but he knew he had to. Elizabeth Granger deserved the same amount of respect he had given the elder Malfoy, even though he felt sick to his stomach at repeating what he saw. “She…she arrived alone…They…” he lowered his head in shame while trying to contain his emotions, but all he wanted to do was fall apart at what he had witnessed.

“Harry…” Elizabeth pressed harder, forcing everyone in the room to gaze at her in sorrow.

“He killed them!” he admitted while never lifting his head; refusing to look at the woman who had raised his wonderful best friend. “He killed them all! They t-tried to rape-rape her, so Draco slaughtered them!”

Elizabeth’s mouth fell open as she silently began to sob in shock that her daughter was almost raped, as Narcissa quickly crossed the room, and caught the mother who began to collapse to the floor in anguish. Knowing the heartache she was feeling as Ron began punching the desk near him in a rage he couldn’t control, she comforted Liz the best she could while Pansy and Luna helped Harry to his feet and guided him out of the room.

July 2nd, 1863

“Hermione!” Blaise stated firmly as he tried to take charge and examine the frightened girl clinging to Draco as if her life depended on it. They had managed to slip out of the tent once the Confederates disbursed in order to search for the people/person responsible for heartlessly murdering three of their men. Though they had to remove the charm hiding themselves in order to stay together as the blonde Slytherin could only go so fast while carrying Hermione in his weakened arms. None of which noticed that the brunette soldier had seen them and began following their group as they wandered into the tree line before stopping to catch their breaths. “Buttercup, look at me, walk me through the damage, darlin!” he continued while removing his shirt so he could wipe the blood from her face as Draco tried to set her down.

But when he reached out to touch the bookworm, she began to scream and scramble back into Draco’s grasp, shocking the Italian enough that he backed up and raise his hands while the Malfoy heir glanced at his friends in confusion.

“Mione?” Ginny tried while taking the shirt from Blaise, who seemed not only taken aback at the Gryffindor witch being afraid of him, but hurt that she saw him as a threat. “Mione…i-it’s alright, shhh…” The redhead reached out to brush a strand of hair that had fallen in front of her best friends’ face, but once again, Hermione panicked in fear, startling her Gryffindor friend.

She looked to Draco, who shrugged in bewilderment as he hugged the witch tightly in his warm embrace, before Blaise suddenly realized that the Golden Girl had formed an Attachment Bond to the Slytherin Prince. It wasn’t really a Rescue Romance, as Hermione had already grown feelings for the blonde before she’d ended up in the situation she had found herself in, but he figured that she only trusted Draco because he had saved her. Almost like a Hero Worship in a way, but at the same time it made her fearful of her friends and could have easily still happened if he or the redhead had rescued her instead.

Though he had only read about the behavioral trait in a few books, while studying to become a Healer, he had never seen it occur firsthand or knew that it could end up being such a serious case. What was happening to the bookworm, who had basically adhered herself to the Slytherin, was deeply physiological and he had no idea how to pull her out of it.

“Red…” he uttered as he reached out a hand and slowly pulled the witch back while shaking his head. “This is beyond my expertise, but…Draco…I’m sorry, mate but-”

“She bonded to me, didn’t she?” he cut in as he continued to hold Hermione close to his chest, knowing he was now fully responsible for her. However, it was a responsibility he was willing to take on as he would do anything for the girl as long as he knew she was okay.

“I-I’m afraid so…But I’ve never heard of it getting this bad-where she quite literally sees everyone, except you, as an enemy. I mean I can understand myself as she was attacked by males, but to be afraid of another woman…? I-I didn’t think it was possible.”

“You need to leave!” a man interrupted with an English accent underlined with a Southern tone, as he slowly walked up to the group. Ginny and Blaise quickly drew their wands and pointed them at the Confederate, who halted in place with his hands raised. “I am not here to harm you. I want no quarrel” he claimed, though he didn’t seem phased by the wands being pointed at him, almost as if he knew what they were. He had also seemed well education in his speech, causing Draco to think that the man might be the ancestor they were supposed to find. “They be coming for you. You need to leave…I-I can assist you.”

“How are we supposed to trust you!” Blaise spat with venom dripping in his voice. “Your bloody mates tried to assault my friend! What makes you any different? What’s to stop me from killing you right now?” he bellowed as a tear slipped from his lashes and his wand shook in his hand as he tried to control himself.

“You have nothing except my word, friend” the solider claimed softly. “That is all I have to give. But we need to leave now.”

“The one of knowledge, who does what there told…” Draco whispered loud enough for the pair shielding him and Hermione, to hear.

Blaise continued to glare at the Confederate standing before him as men could be heard shouting over the gunfire in their search for the group. But the Italian turned his attention to the blonde behind him while slowly lowering his wand, though his hateful features still lingered.

“You better be fucking right. Otherwise, I will kill him.”

“No more blood needs to be spilled, friend. I only wish to aid you…Like I have aided the ones before you…” Ginny, Blaise, and Draco each raised a brow in confusion, but the man refused to explain further until he escorted them all to safety. “We must go. Follow me!”

The group of five raced through the woods as fast as they could, only stopping a few times so Draco could adjust Hermione in his arms as she fell into a catatonic state and to hide when a few soldiers scoured the trees in an effort to find them. Once the coast was clear, the man leading them halted their stride with a raised hand and lowered himself behind a fallen timber as he scouted the small camp holding around a dozen or so horses.

“Are you kidding me?” Draco whispered loudly. “I’ve never ridden a horse before, let alone with another person!”

“It’s easy!” Ginny quietly retorted. “Put Mione on first, then you can mount the steed. Keep the balls of your feet in the stirrups and your hands on the reigns. I’ll tether you to me, alright, so you won’t have to worry about leading. Just keep your balance, tighten your legs on either side when needed, and whatever you do, don’t panic when we run and don’t let the horse know you’re scared. They can sense fear.”

“You want me run on that thing?”

“It’s like riding a broom, Blondie! The walk is actually a lot harder than a run. Just let your hips flow to the movements of the horse. You’re a fast learner, Draco, I know you can do this…Our lives literally depend on it.”

“Right, no pressure what’s so ever, Red!”

“Exactly!” she beamed sarcastically, causing the blonde to roll his eyes in frustration as he tried to remember the steps the redhead had just given him.

“Now’s our opening!” the soldier stated as he snuck around the massive log and ran towards four horses, tied to hitching posts.

The Slytherin Prince attempted to set the Gryffindor down in order to lift her onto the brown steed, but she gripped onto him tighter, making it difficult for any of them to leave. Ginny desperately wanted to help and apparently so did the Confederate, but the redhead stopped him because she knew if anyone, except the Malfoy heir, tried to touch her, the bookworm would scream and give away their position.

“Draco” Blaise muttered as he glanced around to make sure no one had seen them yet. “You have to get her on the horse!”

“She won’t bloody let go!” he rebutted while looking to his friend in irritation, who was holding back an annoyed groan while trying to think of something to help his mate without touching the Golden Girl.

“Let her know you’re not going anywhere! Tell her…it’ll only be for a second! Hurry! We don’t have a lot of time!”

Draco internally grunted while throwing his head back in frustration before lowering his lips to Hermione’s ear.

“Princess…Love, I need you to let go. It’s only for a moment so I can put you on the horse and get you away from here, alright? But we need to hurry. I promise I’ll be right here the whole time. I’m not leaving you. I just need to get you on the saddle before joining you, alright? You’ll be back in my arms in seconds…”

Hermione didn’t say anything, as the group impatiently waited while standing by their own horses, but she did lower her arms and Draco didn’t hesitate to quickly set her down and lift her by the waist to place her upon the stallion side-saddle. He made sure to keep a hand on her at all times as he mounted the horse behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist as Ginny handed him the reigns. The redhead then tied a rope from his horse to hers’ before mounting the mare and guided them away from the war; completely unaware that two Confederates…had seen them.

XX

An hour after escaping the horrid Battle of Gettysburg, the group silently followed the solider who had helped them, as they walked down a dirt road with absolutely no idea as to where they were headed. However, after another half-hour of complete silence passed, Blaise had had enough of only hearing the clicking of hooves and decided to speak up in order to the receive the answers they were all wanting to know.

“Where’re we going?”

“To Chambersburg” the man replied without looking back. “I know a few people who can take you in, get you cleaned up, and into fresh duds. It is not too far a journey. A little less than half a day’s trot.”

“And these people…? Are…are they…”

“They are good people. Native Americans who have integrated with society. Of course, on the lower end of greenbacks, though good people nonetheless.”

“I’m sorry, did you say Native Americans? As in Indians?” Ginny inquired with a hint of fear in her voice. Hermione still wasn’t speaking and couldn’t tell the group that Indians were not to be feared, and even if she could, it still wouldn’t stop her friends from being hesitant to stay with them. Not after what they had seen occur in Jamestown.

“Their village was cast out by the White Man in the seventeen hundreds’. They are all that is left of their tribe. I promise you they are not like the wicked men of my camp…My apologies by the way. I have not properly introduced myself. Names Caleb-Caleb Rosenburt. Great Grand mum changed the last name after the scandal that our family had encountered almost two hundred years ago.”

Draco quickly sat up straight in his saddle when a thought came to mind, before clearing his throat as Hermione’s head rested against his pecs.

“What year is this?” he questioned while glancing back and forth between Ginny and Blaise who turned to look at him with curious expressions.

“That is right! You must not be aware of the year. 1863, my friend. In the good ol' state of Pennsylvania. When was the last place you were at?”

“Wait what?” Blaise inquired in utter confusion. “What do you mean the last place? And what did you mean when you said 'aid us like the ones before'?”

“Ahh, my apologies again, my good man. You are not the first ones I have encountered with magic.” He slowed his horse and steered it down a small hill before dismounting near a river. All the while, the three students stared at him in absolute shock. “Let the horses drink and I shall explain. But it is a long journey and these fine animals deserve a moments rest” he continued as his black horse lowered its head to graze and drink from the cool water while the stars twinkled brightly above them.

The Slytherin Prince slowly removed himself from atop his steed and groaned when he realized how sore the insides of his legs were from riding. He then helped the bookworm dismount after stretching his adductor muscles to obtain a somewhat normal feeling in them and allowed her to hug him as her legs quivered and he guided her towards the trio, patiently waiting for them a few meters away.

“Explain…” Blaise demanded with his arms crossed once Draco and Hermione had reached them and sat down in the grass as the blondes’ body was feeling every muscle in him cursing his name.

Caleb brought out a burlap canteen and began to fill it in the river before turning back to the group staring at him in restlessness. Handing Draco the canister and a rag from his pocket to clean the blood from the Golden Girls’ face, he sighed heavily before crossing his arms.

“I shall never forget their names. They were strange names but good men all the same; with magic they tried for a few days to contain from me. They taught me to read and write better than I was, after I had healed their wounds durin a row with few white men when they tried to help a negro being beatin on the streets in 1859. I was unfortunately drafted to the Confederates side not long after they told me their story and then stepped into a glowing green shape. A side I shall mention, I wanted nothing to do with. I have though passed their teachings on to the people of Chambersburg as a way to spread knowledge. I believe everyone should have the chance to read and write. There is even a small child whom I believe will one day be an amazin storyteller when he is grown.”

“So, others have gone through what we are going through now?” Draco questioned while rocking the brunette witch on his lap as she trembled in his arms and pushed away the rag when he accidentally grazed the large bruise upon her cheek.

“I cannot say the exact same places as those men who showed up a few years ago, but I am to assume the answer is yes. By the way, and please pardon my intrusion, but I have introduced myself to you all. Would you mind allowing me to know your names. I only need to hear them once as I have a very good memory.”

“I-I’m Ginny…uh Ginny Weasley. This is Draco Malfoy and our friend Hermione Granger…”

“My name is Blaise…” the Italian added before reluctantly continuing. “Zabini…” he was sort of hesitant to give out their full names, but the man had saved them from being caught by the side of pro-slavery. A side he may not have wanted to fight on but a side he was serving, nonetheless.

“What were their names? The men who taught you to read and…other things…” the blonde cut in, sensing his friends’ adverse feelings towards the soldier.

“Thorfinn Rowle and Regulus Black.” Everyone’s eyes widened in absolute shock as their mouths fell open and the blonde instantly stopped rocking Hermione. “Strange names, I know” Caleb chuckled.

“No, it’s not that…” Draco muttered as he looked to his two friends in worry. “We know them and-and one of them was not known for being a good man.”

“Well I am to guess the past did him well then and changed the darkness in his heart. They were both nothing but benevolent men durin their stay.”

Draco didn’t want to say that it was impossible as he really didn’t want to dive into the history of the Death Eater that once served under Voldemort, but it did make him internally question certain actions the man had done while under the reign of the Dark Lord.

“So, you’re the descendant of Julia Hamman then?” Ginny chimed in as her curiosity got the better of her; pulling the Prince from digging further into the memories of Thorfinn Rowle.

“You-you met her?” Caleb inquired completely stunned. “I have heard tales but…I never knew if the rumors where fully true or if it was just my mother overstating the stories to scare myself and siblings from ever returning to America.”

“How long have you lived in England?” the Italian asked curiously.

“My family never returned to the states after the events of Salem, Massachusetts. At least not until I decided to achieve answers. I could never find any information in any book I have ever read since I learned to read anything. I was headed North when I was drafted, and I figured that if I survived the war, I could continue making my way up to Boston as the army was already plannin on headin that way.”

“So, Salem did erase the timeline…” Draco uttered as he stared at the ground unseeingly. “They really pretended that we didn’t even exist.”

“What happened to Julia and Joseph once they left?” Blaise quickly questioned.

“Uhhh…From the stories my Grand mum told, Joseph passed away from a sickness once Julia was in her twenties. He remarried not long after returnin to England to a very nice woman with beautiful red hair. Though he never had more children…” Ginny bit her bottom lip and smiled at knowing that the man had found someone like she had told him he would, while her eyes began to water at the memory of the family she would never see again.

“And Julia?” the dark-haired wizard inquired.

“Um, she…she was ridiculed by most of the country after trying to marry a negro slave she had had a secret love affair with. I have only seen a single picture of him hidden in my Great grand mums’ things, but he looked a lot like you, actually…” he pointed to Blaise with his hand as the wizard huffed in surprise.

“Of course, she would…” he smiled proudly.

“Well…” Caleb continued sullenly. “The marriage did not bode well with the people of England as they thought she was tryin to free the slave from the family who owned him. The man, may his soul rest in peace, was murdered in front of her by a group of teen boys who were never convicted. She married again in her early thirties to a white gentleman willin to put up with her ‘taintin’ the family name and had two children. One would assume that taking her husband’s name would stop the terrible rumors spread about her, but…” he inhaled a deep breath while putting his hands in his pockets. “But my family has had to put up with the abuse ever since. My Grand mum changed our last name once more after moving us to Northern Ireland, which was not easy as that country was going through hardships of their own when we arrived in 1846. Luckily the following years the crops were good, however, we moved back in 1851 when I was eleven and when I turned seventeen, I moved to America.

“Anyway,” he sighed as he began walking back to his horse, “apparently since then, my family has not married or had children until they are at least in their mid-twenties to early thirties and always to someone of English descent. Being only twenty-three myself I feel I shall be ready soon to marry and break the wretched tradition as I have a beautiful woman waiting for me in Chambersburg. And seeing as I am now in hiding with you as I will be considered A.W.O.L…”

“How did you find this place you’re taking us too?” Ginny gently asked as Draco stood up to follow them.

“A woman by the name of Harriet Tubman. She was once a negro slave in Maryland that freed herself and worked with the Union Army as a scout and spy. She knows of my struggles with the war and we have aided each other many a times. After the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, the Native Americans and others in Chambersburg have been used as an Underground Railroad to help transport free and enslaved negros, white abolitionists, and other activists, further North. Last I heard though, she had purchased property in New York and planned to care for her aging parents. I have not heard from her for some time, but I have done my best to keep the network alive over the last two years.”

“I learned about her!” Ginny pipped. “She was a fascinating and an amazing woman. I didn’t know she used that town as one of her Railroads.”

“You wouldn’t” Caleb explained as he mounted his steed. “Because she didn’t actually use it. She met with a man named Frederick Douglass in New York during her journeys, who told her about a man named John Brown that was staying in Chambersburg and wanted to plan a raid on Harpers Ferry in Virginia. Mr. Douglass advised him against it but did provide ten dollars from a supporter and helped another future raider locate Mr. Brown. Long story short, she told me about the town before departin North. Since then, I have found ways to slip off and guide a few slaves captured by Confederates to the town before returnin. Like a ghost in the night. No one has ever known that I was a missing…at least until now, seeing as I was supposed to be on the front lines in the morning.”

“So, why help us? And how did you even know we were trapped in the past?” Blaise questioned as everyone else mounted their horses and began walking away from the river to continue their long journey.

“I saw those soldiers take your friend into their tent. Ms. Hermione Granger. But I knew if I spoke up, I would be considered a no-account rat, making it difficult for me to continue helpin those in need. But then I saw your blonde mate with his wand in his hand and his hair sparking, and I knew he did not belong. Cannot say I was not utterly terrified however, of knowin he could murder like he did. But those bastards deserved everything they got.” He clicked his reigns, causing his steed to trot before continuing. “Once Lieutenant Colonel Taylor left the tent fit to be tied, I figured you all left out the back somehow. Though when you emerged from the front, I knew you had to have used magic to hide yourselves…so I followed you out into the woods and here we be.”

“Well…thank you” Blaise stated in embarrassment. “And I’m sorry for almost killing you-or really wanting to kill you.”

“Not to worry, friend. I understand that you had to do what you could to protect your mates. No harm no foul…Is she going to be alright?”

“We don’t know” Draco muttered as he trotted next to Ginny and glanced down at the brunette huddled against him. “But I do know she’s the strongest of us all. If anyone can make it through this…it’s her.”

“Good…good…Now best to stay in the shadows during this trek. We should be arriving in Chambersburg come morning light. You can rest once we arrive and I shall make sure Mrs. Pidgeon serves her famous rabbit stew. I still have no idea how she gets the meat so tender, but she is a queen of cooking and a true Saint if I do say so myself. So, get as comfortable as you can. We may only stop once or twice to water the horses, but we can continue talking along the way as long as we stay quiet so not to be overheard by slave catchers…”

Draco did his best to adjust Hermione in front him. He wanted her to at least be content, hoping the many hours they had left in their travel would eventually pull her out of the traumatizing state, and he wished with all his heart that she would be alright. He didn’t lie when he said she was the strongest person he knew, but he had seen how women, just as tough, crumble into a shell of a person after being raped by high ranking Death Eaters. He just had to believe that the Hermione he knew, would be okay, and promised to do his best to comfort her in any way she needed. Their relationship had barely started, he wasn’t ready to give her up now.

Gently kissing the top of her dirt strewn hair, close to where that pathetic imbecile had pulled out a chunk of her beautiful brown curls, Draco tightly wrapped his arms around the Gryffindor Princess and began whispering a prayer to her muggle God, to protect her with everything he had.

XXXXX

**Before I go any further, I want to give you a heads up that I have no idea if 16 will be on time. I just had to put 1 of my 3 cats down Thursday night after she went into kidney failure and it was by far the hardest thing I ever had to do. I will still try my best to get 16 to you on time but with two deaths for me this year…My heart is just a broken mess. So, I apologize now if chapters seem overly depressing or not up to my original standards. I will say they have already been planned out, so the depressing parts are not because of my grief. They are just amplified because of it. And I do apologize if I make you cry in this story. It is and isn’t my intention lol.**

**Anyway! You made it through the chapter!! Yay!! Okay so for the new interaction, I am going to do something similar to what I have done in my Repeat After me story just without the poll. I realized you guy love to have some sort of interaction as the fic progresses and I absolutely love including you. So…for the next 3 eras/clues (as they are relatively easy to guess and each era gets longer and longer), I am going to play what I am calling the “I believe…” game, where the top five winners will get to create a Character the group will meet in the past (not an ancestor) OR create a student in the present that goes to Hogwarts. There are rules, just like every game, so let’s dive right in.**

**Rules are as followed:**

**1- Everyone will get a chance to guess! ONE GUESS PER PERSON! When a clue appears at the end of a chapter, guiding the group into the next location, PM me your guess (if you are on a site that does not have PM, please put your guess in an email. If it is in a review, I feel like that’s cheating and gives your answer away so unfortunately, review answers will not be accepted. My email is on my profile. Not yet on AO3 so PM me if you are on that site.) Those without an account, are required to email me your guess. Do not put it in a review. I am TRUSTING all people emailing to not cheat and use multiple emails to send multiple guesses. If I find out you have, that is grounds for immediate disqualification. You will only receive a response that I have gotten your guess marked down, but nothing else unless you have won. Reason being that I feel a lot of you will message me and I don’t want to overwhelm myself by trying to reply to everyone like I do with reviews.**

**2- The answers I am searching for is NOT what you have done with Gettysburg and you will receive more than just a shout out. (Guests must provide a name of some sort for credit) If you know the era and want to play, the answer I am looking for from you, is a date. Month and Year, you believe the period will start in. Each location and timestamp have already been created so there is no cheating. As an example: (we’ll use Gettysburg for this) “I believe July 1863”, is how the answer should be displayed. BOTH ARE NEEDED TO WIN AND BOTH NEED TO BE CORRECT. I am not looking for a full date, again JUST the month and the year. It will all make sense when the next era comes into play. Also please DO NOT post your review in the message with your answer. Reviews should be kept separate and on the story itself.**

**3- The Top Five on point, or closest to when I am starting the era, guesses, will get to create a Characters’ name, age, the way they look, their year at Hogwarts/career/job/reason for being alive basically, and possibly their personality if I think it will work in the fic. My beta and I will judge all guesses and chose the closest answers. You will be notified by PM, or email, before the next chapter is posted. Your Character will then be placed somewhere throughout the era/present timeline and you will also be given a shout out when the person is going to appear. You will have only 2 days from being contacted as a winner, to provide your Character description. If you do not respond, another will be chosen in your place.**

**4- Winners, I am asking you to please give serious Characters that will fit the timeline. In other words, no blue hair with purple eyes for a man named Bobthena unless the year is like 2019 (which it won’t be). If I receive anything crazy like that, you will be disqualified, and a new winner will be chosen in your place.**

**5- Last rule and this is important as I have to have time to plan and place the Character into the story. Guesses will only be accepted up to 3 days from day the clue is given, including the Sunday the chapter is posted. So, you have until 11:59pm Tuesday, Eastern Time in the US and Canada, to submit your guesses. Winners will then be chosen the following Wednesday, possibly into Thursday, depending on my work schedule. The Character can appear at any given time during the era and in any given chapter for as long as I feel they can work, so don’t be discouraged thinking I have forgotten you because I haven’t. I am doing this to make it easier on myself as I have to find a way to insert the person and have the story still make sense/flow without falling behind.**

****Also please note that even though you are given a choice, if you choose to place someone in the present, that does not mean the person will forever be in the fic from then on out. They can easily be a student I choose to hide in the shadows once their scenes are done or…for all we know, I may fall in love with the character and continue to write for them. We just don’t know.**

*****This game starts once the current era is done and the new eras’ clue is revealed!! So, you have at least 5-6 chapters to think of a person you want to put in the story if you win! Good Luck!**

**Now the SHOUT OUTS on FF-Fanfiction, AFF-Adult-Fanfiction, and AO3- Archive Of Our Own (sorry Wattpad) If you don’t see your name and you have proof that you answered correctly, then please let me know. I might have just accidentally missed you when writing down the names.**

**Those who guessed the Civil War- LiteraryG (FF) KaitNac (FF) Baigemaster (FF) LLyvers6 (FF) Jacpin2002 (FF) Ddraig_Fach (AO3) DistinctlyME (AO3) IndefiniteArrrow (AO3)**

**Those who guessed the specific battle I was looking for, The Battle of Gettysburg- Calimocho (FF), Gizzy’s Mama (FF) HarryPGinnyW4eva (FF) Baigelmaster (FF) SlytherinQueen420 (AFF) 1_Luv215 (AFF) HoneySweetCutie (AO3) To_Anyone316 (AO3) AlyssaParson (AO3)**

**Love you all and thank you to everyone that placed a guess but unfortunately was not correct! However, the wars you chose have given me some good ideas if I plan to do a sequel or another time travel story in the future! Until next Sunday! XOXO**


	16. Spider Web

_“Breathe in, breathe out, Move on and break down, If everyone goes away I will stay. We push and pull, And I fall down sometimes, I'm not letting go, You hold the other line.”_

**– Breath In Breath Out- Mat Kearney**

Chapter 16- Spider Web

Pansy gently placed a cool wet washcloth on the back of Harry’s neck as he continued to throw up into the toilet in the en suite of her and Luna’s shared bedroom. Though it wasn’t really theirs anymore as they were supposed to be leaving to return to Hogwarts within the hour, but after everything that had just occurred, it was the only thing she could call the room she and the Ravenclaw had brought the distressed wizard into.

She didn’t really know what else to do to try and help the Golden Boy, who was in shambles as he cried over the porcelain throne, and kept rubbing his back as she herself did her best not to weep in desolation. She couldn’t imagine the heartache he was feeling at not only knowing what his female best friend had gone through, but to see it as well…

After everything Harry had battled over his life, all the wrong that was ever done to him, to his friends, all the wretched lies told to him, the countless murders in front of him, the pain of abandonment from his family, being used as a pawn to defeat the darkest wizard of all time…she had to admire his strength through it all. But his fortitude was dwindling, and Pansy could tell that what he had witnessed, broke him more than anything he’d ever endured. Hermione Granger may not have been his sister by blood, but she was the closest thing he had to a family next to the Weasley’s.

It pained her to know the bookworm was raped, or almost raped, it didn’t really matter as both were horrible and no one should have to experience it. She didn’t blame Draco in the slightest for slaughtering the men who tried to hurt her…She would have done the same if she was in his shoes. However, she most likely would have made sure to sodomize the men who forcefully tried to take what they wanted from a woman, take something that didn’t belong to them, before brutally killing them. And if she ended up not having the time to torture the pathetic excuse for human beings, she would have found a way to bring them with her and deliver onto them their just dessert.

She never allowed a man to try and take something from her that wasn’t his. And after Amycus Carrow tried to do just that when she attended Hogwarts while he was acting as the Dark Arts Professor during the War, she made she sure he knew his place. The disgusting wizard however, had his sister Alecto, to thank for saving his life as Pansy had quite literally almost broken his dick off with her hand. He took his anger cruelly out on other students, but he had never bothered her again after that incident. His sister, however, did try to hex her multiple times throughout the term whenever she had the chance, but Pansy was too smart for her and was always one step ahead in avoiding the shrew.

“Here you are, Pansy” Luna dolefully claimed as she handed the raven-haired Slytherin a cup of water to give Harry, pulling her from her twisted thoughts of what she would have done to the men if she ever got her hands on them. Not that she could do anything as they were well over a century in the past and long dead by now, but she still wished she could stand up for Hermione who had to suffer the fate she was given. “We’re out of Calming Draughts, but Molly sent an Owl to Professor McGonagall to have Hagrid bring some when he arrives. Although we need to monitor how much he takes…” she claimed sweetly as she took a seat next to Harry.

“I don’t think a Calming Draught is what he needs right now, Luna…” Pansy responded despondently. “He needs to be able to express his emotions…not suppress them. Otherwise it’s just going to make things worse in the end” she claimed while trying to get the tearful Gryffindor to drink the water in her hand. But Harry was too forlorn to do anything, let alone hear anything around him, instead he hunched over the toilet again to throw up. Once his stomach was completely empty and he dry heaved a few times, Pansy pulled him in to her embrace as he continued to sob, while tears gathered in Luna’s eyes, not really knowing what else she could do to help her friend, who could do nothing to help the people in the past.

However, when the raven-haired wizard began to ramble about what he had seen through his melancholy sniffles, before breaking down again, Luna couldn’t hold back any longer and had to leave the room in despair. She had never thought it was possible for one of her friends to hurt so much…not after everything they had all been through over the years; and she couldn’t breathe knowing how much grief those in the past had to, and still have to, deal with.

Although down the hall, another battle was being fought in a special room Narcissa had created specifically for Draco when he needed to release his pent-up anger. A clear wall, charmed with a powerful Protego Maxima spell, combined with Fianto Duri and Repello Inimicum, rose to protect any and all who entered if the space was in use. And Ronald Weasley was making sure to use the chamber to the best of his ability. Theo and Neville watched in desolation as the walls absorbed every spell the redhead threw, and the room repaired the furniture he was destroying almost instantly. There wasn’t much else they could do as Ron unleashed the violent wrath, he desperately wished to deliver upon the men who tried to rape his ex-girlfriend and released the most heartbreaking scream he could.

“He’s going to burst a blood vessel if he keeps this up…” Neville stated as he crossed his arms and noticed how red the Gryffindors’ face was turning.

“He’ll be fine” Theo replied with a heavy sigh. “I’ve seen Draco lose his temper a lot worse than this and he was always okay afterwards.

“He needs to calm down…I mean, I-I know its Mione and all, but she’s a tough girl to crack. She wouldn’t want him doing this because of what happened to her.”

“He’s not doing this for her. He’s doing this for himself…Can you honestly blame him for reacting this way?” the Slytherin questioned as he turned his dejected gaze to Neville. “Have you ever seen or-or heard about someone you know getting raped, or almost raped in Grangers’ case?” he inquired gingerly but didn’t wait for the brunette to answer. “Well I have, thanks to my sick sadistic father, may he rest in Azkaban for life, and I know the pain he’s feeling. Draco and I have seen so many women violated during Voldemort’s reign…muggles, witches, you name it, his Death Eater’s claimed it…But Draco…” he breathed out sharply while shaking his head, “he was very proficient with hiding his feelings. A master with the face of indifference. One could never tell if he cared or not. But he did…And he used this room more times than I could count. But the thing is, he got to release his anger finally and massacre those who harmed your friend while Weasley on the other hand, is pissed he couldn’t do something about it himself and that his former nemesis is the one who saved Granger. Soooo, we end up here as he pretends the pottery is the faces of the men who harmed one of his best friends.”

“You act like I don’t care about what happened to Hermione!” Neville retorted in offense. “I care just as much as Ron and Harry, but you don’t see me trying to destroy a room that magically fixes itself just because Malfoy took care of everyone’s revenge!”

“I’m not saying you don’t care…You, Longbottom, are more levelheaded when it comes to things that enrage you. While Weasley, Draco, and myself are more…vocal, I guess you could say, with our anger. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t affect you just the same. Weasley just needs to express his feelings through smashing things and cursing them, while you hold everything in until you can’t take it anymore and you either break down like Potter or you snap like Weasley. There’s nothing wrong with that. We all convey sadness, and fury, in different ways.”

“You didn’t walk into this room when you were upset during this whole…thing…You tried to do the ritual again instead of throwing hexes and breaking shite.”

“But I did though…Twice actually…” Theo sighed once more and stepped back to take a seat on a bench against the wall. “The second time was when Potter projected Draco’s’ suffering to us and the first…was…was right after Potter explained what had happened to him in Pompeii. Mr. Weasley and Mr. Granger took me here after asking Mrs. Malfoy for somewhere where they could take me to talk. At first, we just…stayed here, in this niche, as I cried my eyes out.” He lowered his gaze to the floor as he recalled the sorrowful day. “They stood just over there” he pointed behind Neville, who turned around for a brief moment to view the corner of the room, “and didn’t say a single word. They just let me cry…let me free myself from the emotional baggage I was holding in.” He bit his bottom lip as he stared unseeingly at the ground and huffed lightly through his nose. “Apparently, they understood that what I needed wasn’t to have people bombard me with questions about how I was feeling, and what was wrong, or whatever…which was liberating in away. Their presence alone was enough to support me…” He looked up at Neville, who held sympathy in his dark brown eyes, and produced a lightweight smile before looking back to Ron still tearing apart the room.

“As far as I know, Draco was the only person to ever use this place…that is until I stopped sobbing my eyes out long enough for anger to take over and the thoughts of suicide to disappear from my mind. As soon as I stepped into that space something washed over me and…” he licked his lips as he inhaled a deep breath and tried to think of the right words to say, “I don’t know. It was like the walls knew I needed to let go. The barrier went up to protect them and I brought out my wand…

“I know why this room is used and I know why Ron needs it…” he glanced up at Neville watching his friend through the glass in understanding. “Don’t be surprised when you end up using it one day too. Your friend just went through a horrible ordeal that I would never want, even my worst enemy, to suffer through. Trust me, Neville...No one can hold back their feelings forever when it comes to something as sever as that…Eventually it will rise to the surface and no matter how sensible or how calm you might be…it’ll come. And when it does, you’ll wish you had this room to set it free, instead of taking your frustrations out on your friends.”

“I’m not saying that I don’t understand what Ron is going through…But I don’t think I’ll ever need this room…”

“You say that now…”

“I won’t” Neville claimed solidly while Theo observed the Gryffindors’ demeanor carefully.

“We’ll see…”

July 3rd, 1863

“I’m confused…” Ginny claimed as her thoughts strayed to the history she was taught about the city they were headed to. The group was about halfway from their destination and wanted to continue their inquiry before they arrived. “I thought the Confederates invaded Chambersburg in June of this year when gearing up to attack Gettysburg…If you used the town as an underground railroad…?”

“You want to know how we did it-or still do it really?” Caleb replied with a smirk. “Each Native American family has a White family that lives with them. The place I am taking you too is a fairly large home that was turned into an Inn. You most likely won’t meet the family as they only come and go at certain times of the day to protect the people living there. The town is alerted when any Confederates, other than myself, are plannin to enter. Anyone in danger, hides below their homes in a cellar while the ‘protectors’ play their part in pretendin to be the owners of the establishment. The entry door, when unlocked, appears to be a pantry that cannot be opened unless the person on the inside unlatches the bolts sealing the room off.”

“And this keeps them safe?” Blaise wondered aloud in interest.

“So far, it has. I have not been up to Chambersburg in a few weeks though. I know General Lee had us stationed up there for a couple of days to prepare for the battle, but my squadron was still in Virginia for some time. We were supposed to meet up with them before combat ensued, and I honestly cannot tell you what had happened. The next thing I knew, we were in Gettysburg losin people left and right.”

“Can you tell us more about Rowle-Thorfinn, I mean, and Regulus?” Draco inquired as Hermione lay gently against his chest while she stared unseeingly in front of her. He wanted to know if the pair had said anything about their journey and see if he could get a better insight on their predicament, seeing as Caleb apparently had a photographic memory and could recall basically anything that was told to him. He didn’t really care about the history of the town and was more focused on what they were up against with the amulet. “Did they say anything about how they got trapped in the past? Or the eras they encountered?”

“They did…Though I do not know if it will be much help” Caleb sighed as he steadily walked his horse down a dirt path through a mass of trees, so that they wouldn’t be spotted on the road. “They only told me they be on their third…jump…I believe is how they phrased it, and still had two more periods to go through. The first was where they met the creator of some sort of amulet, that caused the situation-”

“The creator?” Ginny exclaimed as she forced her horse to walk next to Caleb’s. “Did they say anything about what he said? Did the amulet look like a scarab beetle? Did they mention anything about the poem?”

“Whoa there, Ms. Ginny” the soldier chuckled. “One question at a time. I may remember each one, but I cannot answer all at once” he smiled warmly. “They mentioned a poem, but I did not see the amulet and they did not talk much about it or what it looked like. So, I cannot say it was a…scarab beetle, you called it?” Ginny nodded her head as she pulled out the amulet from Hermione’s bag that Draco had given her to hold on to. Caleb lit a friction match and studied the pendent, and the parchment inside, for a moment before handing it gently back to her and shrugging. “It appears to look like it came from ancient Egypt, where they claim they had first landed. They met a man by the name of Osiris, who created the relic in your hand. Though that is all they really told me about it. Besides the fact that each era was supposed to change them in a way.”

“Change them how?” Blaise questioned as Ginny placed the beetle back into the bag.

“Well for starters, each time period was meant for one of them. The first being for both of them, the second for Mr. Thorfinn and this one…well in 1859, if we are going to be exact here, was for Mr. Regulus. I do not know what the last two entailed however…”

“What about the poem?” the dark-haired wizard asked as he looked to his girlfriend in curiosity.

“The poem does not to appear to have changed much. Although a few of the traits are different. Hmm…Let me see if I can remember… ‘Look for the one that’s creative yet strong, and the one of forgiveness who has been wronged, the one of knowledge on haunted ground…’ oh, that’s me!” he laughed cheerfully, but quickly stopped when he looked around at the faces simply wanting him to keep continuing the riddle. “Apologies…Alright um, where was I…? Oh yes, ‘the one of knowledge on haunted ground, before the fearless forever unbound, the loyalty you seek is in the close, to show you the life that you once chose.’ I can only imagine the dread of the fourth era. Thorfinn seemed to have recognized it rather quickly. Something about France in 1944 and Nazi Germany…They never did tell me what a Nazi was though…”

“How the hell did he decipher an exact location and year, during World War II, from a riddle?” Ginny asked in utter confusion.

“They received a clue before that glowing shape thing appeared. They would not tell me what it said, but Thorfinn was very reluctant to step in and had to explain to Regulus what the era contained…What is a Nazi?” he asked while leaning sideways in curiosity, in hopes someone would tell him what the funny word meant.

“Think…Confederates, but in Germany…and ten times sicker and twenty times more twisted” the Italian quickly replied, causing Caleb to frown in disgust. “But okay so, they went through Egypt, the Civil War, and World War II…I get you wouldn’t know the final era, but what the hell was the second place?”

“The time before 1859, when I met them, was…13-49, where one of my ancestors was a child…squib…Yes, squib was the name…So, apparently that is one of the reasons I can see magic so well” he smiled proudly. “His parents however, thought he was sufferin from the Black Death, so they took him to Regulus to be healed as he had evidently made a small name for himself and was able to heal a few children with potions made with a book he had on them from their own time period. In any case, they deduced the child to be of magical blood but not possess magic, which I was told was frowned upon…” he paused for a moment, while Draco’s face flushed in embarrassment, before shaking his head to continue. “The child was not actually sick; he just had no magic. Regardless, they gave up the child to an orphanage to have a family of…what was the word…oh, muggles, take care of him. That did not seem to sit right with Thorfinn and once he found out from the mother what the father had forced her to do, he made sure to find the child a good home where he could grow up happy and healthy, away from the dyin people in England.”

“Hold on a second…” Draco stated quite loudly before lowering his voice when Hermione shuddered in his arms. “Sorry, love…” he whispered before kissing the top of her head and focusing back on the people surrounding him. “We were in 1349 then…well at least I think it was 1349. This is too big of a coincidence for it to not be…”

“Draco…what are you talking about?” Blaise inquired with a raised brow.

“Don’t you remember? When the amulet was fixing itself…Knockturn Alley? We saw a child being forcefully handed over to an orphanage. The mother didn’t seem to want to let go, and the father outright dragged her away.”

“Mate, that could have been anyone…We don’t know if that was the same child…”

“You can’t say that that’s eerily random, Blaise. It’s too big a coincidence that Rowle and Black were in 1349, during the Bubonic Plague just like us, and dealt with a family very similar to the one we saw. Yeah, it may be a completely different family and we can’t prove it, but I have a strange feeling it’s not…I don’t know, mate…it’s just…it’s odd.”

“And completely mental! Draco, we don’t know what year we landed in during that time. We could have very well landed in 1348 for all we know.”

“He might be an arsehole, Blaise” Ginny interrupted before the blonde lost his temper, “but he said it himself, back in the museum…He’s always right. We may not like it, but, that I’m aware of, Blondie hasn’t been wrong about anything he’s mentioned as of late…I’m not saying he’s a hundred percent correct, but if he has a feeling…I’m trusting him on it.”

“Thanks, Red…” Draco muttered softly.

Ginny nodded her head once as the group continued through the trees; trees Draco hated more than anything in his life so far. It seemed all they did was walk through woods lately and he was desperate to escape the foreign wilderness, so he wouldn’t continue to keep seeing the faces of the men who captured and tortured him almost to death. He was forever grateful that Hermione had defended him, which was another reason he didn’t hesitate to viciously murder the men trying to harm her. He just wished he could have saved her sooner.

“You mentioned that each era was meant for one of them” the dark-haired wizard began while Draco brushed a few stands of the brunette witches’ hair from her face. “Does-does that mean each place we go to is for us as well?”

“What are you saying, Blaise?” Ginny quickly cut in before Caleb could utter a word.

“I-I’ve been thinking it over, and ever since I read over the riddle and talked to Draco back in Salem…I had a strong feeling that each place is meant for one of us to learn something. Draco learned what it was like for those he used to see as lesser than himself during the war, and I could have sworn the Civil War was for me…Evidently…I-I think it was for Hermione…”

“What could she have possibly learned, about almost getting raped?” the redhead snapped, causing Caleb to lower his head in shame and embarrassment. The group remained quiet for a couple of minutes before Draco looked down at the girl in his arms and instantly knew the lesson she was supposed to learn. Although, he didn’t think she deserved what happened, he understood why it had occurred.

“It doesn’t matter how strong you are or how much you think you can handle anything that comes your way….” he began as his friends gazed back at him. “Even the bravest of heroes can fall.” He glanced up to the trio looking sullenly at him as his eyes began to water. “Hermione has fought through a war. She murdered two men without even hesitating, was bullied and hunted because of her blood, and has lost so much of her childhood…because of me…But she never fell apart…at least not like this. She kept her head held high and she never let anyone break her.” He looked back down at the bookworm who seemed to not hear a word he was saying. “Hermione never really understood the true meaning of being vulnerable. We all break eventually…Unfortunately…it’s her turn…”

“But…that day at your manor…” Blaise uttered in sorrow. “That wasn’t to-” he choked as he bit his bottom lip and did his best to try and not cry for the Gryffindor Savoir.

“She didn’t let that keep her from continuing her mission to find all the Horcruxes and defeat Voldemort…” Ginny spoke dejectedly. “Mione didn’t let it keep her down…She forgave Draco for his part a long time ago. Took her while to actually accept him, but she didn’t fault him for that day.”

“I do not mean to be impolite, but it seems your friend here, needs to learn to be the change…as it is the key.”

“What did you say?” the Italian questioned, completely perplexed as his brows creased and he stopped his horse from walking any further.

“I did not mean it to be disrespectful…” Caleb defended gently as he and the rest of the group halted their steady pace through the woods.

“No, not that. I don’t care why you said it…” Blaise stated while holding up a hand and shaking his head. “Hermione said the same thing back in the alley. Yet her interpretation of that line in the riddle was about saving my mate and changing things in order to do so…You’re saying that she was wrong?”

“I would not say she is utterly wrong, but Regulus deduced that each lesson learned…is the change they have to embrace in order to move forward. They were both complicated people and had to transform in multiple ways…‘Though don’t be fooled by the hate you see…To be the change is the key.’ You have to amend for your mistakes, and accept the change, in order to move forward. Draco did so when he accepted his fault and took the change to heart, making him a better, more carin individual.”

“So, you’re saying that Mione has to accept that…that she’s just as fragile as the rest of us?”

“That is-” the brunette muggle began, but abruptly stopped and held up a hand to shush his newfound comrades.

A rustling in the woods caused the group to freeze as the horses cocked their heads. Caleb glanced at their tails, that were held high, singling they were alert, while their ears pricked forward towards the muffled sounds. They waited in silence as their hearts beat rapidly within their chests and their wands gripped tightly in their hands, when the startling noise revealed its source. Everyone stared in bewilderment when they saw a multitude of people walking through the pitch-dark woods, with baskets and blankets held in their arms. But as the mass of men, women, and children, oblivious to the five on horses, walked through the trees, one person did see them and yelped loudly to alert the others before pulling out a Pennsylvania/Kentucky rifle and pointing it directly Calebs' head.

“Anoki, no!” a woman shouted while throwing herself in front of the man with long black hair tied in a low ponytail, holding the weapon.

“Anoki…?” Caleb questioned with a raised brow while a grin began to form across his lips. “Anoki, you crazy son of bitch!”

“Caleb?” the man asked in confusion as he lowered his weapon while squinting through the darkness of the trees to see the face of the man on top of the horse better. “Sweet Juniper! Caleb!”

The brunette muggle dismounted his steed as the Native American man raced towards him and embraced him in a welcoming hug. However, Caleb glanced up at the woman watching in excitement, before releasing his hold on Anoki, and rushed to her. Picking her up by her waist, she giggled as he spun her around, before setting her down gently, and kissing the top of her head.

“Tala” he sighed with a large smile while stroking his fingers through her long straight black hair. “God, I have missed you!” he claimed before remembering he had a group of travelers watching him in utter shock and wonder. “Forgive me …” he turned to the group on horses. “This be the woman I be tellin you about, Tala! And my good friend Anoki; Talas’ younger cousin…” he turned proudly back to the woman to continue introductions. “And these be my new friends, Blaise, Ginny, Hermione, and Draco…I will tell you more about our encounter, but-”

“Draco?” Tala inquired while cutting her lover off and stepping forward. “As is in the constellation? Named after the never setting Dragon…” she smiled warmly. “It be a pleasure to meet you.”

“Nice…to meet you too…” Draco replied while holding Hermione tighter in his arms and completely thrown off that she spoke so well. Then again, Caleb had spent time with people from their current timeline, and not only picked up how Thorfinn and Regulus spoke, but passed on their teachings as well.

To say however, that he was fearful of Native Americas, didn’t seem to be the right word for it. He wasn’t so much as scared of them, as he was nervous around them. After the events of Jamestown, he didn’t trust anyone with their ethnicity and wanted to keep the Indians as far away from his girl as he possibly could.

“Why are you not in Chambersburg, Tala?” Caleb asked when he noticed that Draco and his friends seemed apprehensive to meet his beloved. “We were headin up that way after I found these four in the middle of a battlefield.”

Tala’s lips fell to a frown as she faced her sweetheart and lowered her head before looking up to Anoki in sorrow.

“A-after the fires a few weeks ago and the Confederates passing through…” Anoki began to explain, “our people no longer felt safe…We have decided to move into the South Mountain until the war settles down.”

“You are movin half the town?”

“We do not have a choice” Tala cut in. “Many were planning to leave on their own, which would have been dangerous…We could not leave them. I am the Chief’s daughter, and since my father’s passing…I was chosen to lead, Caleb…These are my people and I cannot leave them to fend for themselves.”

“I understand…” the brunette soldier stated while cupping the Native American woman’s’ cheek tenderly and gazing deep into her copper eyes. “Do you mind if…if we join you? My friends could really use the rest.” He pointed to Hermione with his chin, letting Tala and Anoki know that something horrible had happened without giving away too much.

“Any friend of yours, my love, be friends of ours…”

Sunday, May 9th, 1999

Luna ran as fast as her feet could carry her until she reached the Library doors and burst through the entrance with tears streaming down her face. She searched the stunned faces for Neville and began to panic when she couldn’t find him. As eccentric as the Ravenclaw was, Luna was not usually someone to let things affect her in such a way. She couldn’t even remember the last she had actually cried. But after hearing the words Harry had spoken, she could no longer hold on to her cheerful demeanor as a rush of sadness washed over her.

“Where’s Neville?” she cried as Narcissa, Molly, and Thorfinn crowded around Elizabeth, sobbing for her daughter.

“Now is not the time, Luna!” Thorfinn yelled above the wailing noise of the muggle mother.

“Where is he!”

“Down the hall to your right!” Narcissa sighed in irritation just as Hagrid floo’d through the fireplace, looking the same as he always did, with a large dark beard and long messy black hair, and glanced around at the chaotic scene before him.

“Blimey! Wha in Gallopin’ Gorgons is goin on ‘ere!” he exclaimed in surprise. However, Narcissa ignored him and continued talking to Luna.

“Make two lefts, then a right when you reach Draco’s bedroom-the large silver door, you can’t miss it! He’s in the Rage Room with Theo and Ronald, five doors down from there on the left!” She quickly turned her attention to Hagrid before the Ravenclaw completely had a chance to race out of the room. “Please tell me you brought Calming Draughts?”

“Gottem right ‘ere for yeh…” he claimed in bewilderment, while reaching into his breast pocket for one of the vials the Headmistress had given him. Although, Lady Malfoy didn’t wait for him to walk across the large room, and quickly hurried over to him to take the small bottle.

Racing back to blubbering mess that was Elizabeth, she popped the cork of the top, and forced the liquid down the mothers’ throat. As they waited for the potion to take effect, Luna sprinted down the halls and swiftly turned right, after passing the Malfoy heirs bedroom, and managed to find the Rage Room without fault. Bursting through the door immediately upon locating it, startling both Theo and Neville, she ran into her boyfriends’ arms and broke down. Both students raised a brow in puzzlement because neither of them even knew it was possible for the petite blonde witch to sob, let alone shed a tear as she was usually the one who knew how to help others through a terrible time.

“Luna…?” Theo began gently as Neville wrapped his arms tightly around the girl, and slowly stepped forward with a hand stretched out to touch her. “Luna, what happened? Is-is Potter alright?” The Ravenclaw continued to sob as the brunette Slytherin glanced up at Neville before noticing Ron had finally given up destroying things near them and fell to his knees to cry while the barrier wall lowered. Turning his attention back to the couple, he lightly placed a hand on Luna’s back as the Gryffindor held her head close to his chest. “Luna, love…tell us what’s wrong.”

The blonde girl slowly turned her head while slightly calming herself and began to speak through her whimpers as she clutched her wizards’ shirt firmly. Once she had finished telling both boys what Harry had said, something inside Neville shattered and an anger he couldn’t control began to rise to the surface.

“Take her…” he whispered.

“What?” Theo questioned with a crease forming above his brows.

“Please take her…”

Theo disconcertingly reached out and ushered Luna into his arms while Neville closed his eyes for a brief moment before walking over to Ron. Helping him stand, he guided the redhead over to the bench by his friends, set him down, and then turned around.

“Neville, wha…what’re doing?” the Slytherin questioned as Luna laid against his chest.

“Can you get them out of here…?” he sullenly asked while staring at the room with his wand at his side.

“Not until you tell me what the hell you’re doing?”

“I don’t let things gets to me…” he claimed despondently while never removing his eyes from the room in front of him. “Not since the war. That’s one of the reasons why Luna and I work out so well…We are levelheaded…But you’re right…” He shrugged with one arm as he licked his lips and slowly turned his tear-filled gaze to Theo. “No one can hold back their feelings forever when it comes to something as severe as this…It was different, you know? Thinking it was just an attack that looked like a rape. Something I couldn’t really picture…But to know exactly what Harry saw…T-to know that Hermione…” he choked as a tear slide down his cheek. “Three men…Three! Tried to…I made myself believe it was only an attack that she could bounce back from. That’s the Hermione we all know. The strong one, the brave one, the one who holds all of us up when we’re down…And now…” He licked his bottom lip as he stared unseeingly at Theo, who was brewing tears of his own in his warm brown eyes. “Now she’s broken, and we can’t help her…We can’t save her…”

“She’ll get through this, Neville…”

“And what if she doesn’t, Theo? What if she doesn’t make it through any of this?”

“Draco wouldn’t let that happen. He assassinated those men for a reason, he won’t just let Granger crumble into a shell of a person. We’ve seen it happen way too many times. There’s no way he would give up on her; not when it’s someone he personally knows…Neville, if Granger was willing to risk everything to save his life in Salem…Draco is not going to rest until he makes sure she gets through this, you hear me? She will make it through this…I promise…”

“Can you please just get them out of here…” he sniffled while trying to hold back his emotions so the others wouldn’t see his break down.

“Yeah…Just…take all the time you need…”

Theo gently led the petite blonde from the room and had her wait outside the door before returning to help Ron. Once the entrance clicked closed on his way out however, he paused for a moment as the sounds of shattering glass and hexes began to reverberate throughout the hall.

July 3rd, 1863

Ginny stood in the middle of a tent lent to them by Anoki, after secretly charming the inside, similar to her father's tent back during the World Cup, while she filled the transfigured tub with water from her wand. In order to fit everything inside she had no choice but to expand it and hope the Native Americans listened to Tala when she demanded they not bother them.

They had learned from Caleb, during the manual set up of the shelter, that they were somewhere in the Northern part of the South Mountain. And since they couldn’t use magic in front of muggles, they had to erect the shelter the old fashion way but learned in the process that the Indians they were camping with, were a part of the Shawnee tribe. They had once inhabited areas all around Ohio, Kentucky, and Pennsylvania before being split up and driven to the West and South. They had returned to their original homeland in the eighteenth century but during the early eighteen hundreds’, the government had forcibly relocated the Shawnee to Kansas and Missouri. The small tribe of about seventy Natives had hidden themselves from the White Man for many years until the Civil War was nearing its end, and now they were on the move again.

It helped herself at least, understand that not all Native Americans were bad, but unfortunately, Blaise was still afraid and stayed as far away from them as possible while Draco still had his doubts. Regretfully, that meant the Italian stayed hidden in his and Draco’s tent while Ginny and the blonde Slytherin took care of Hermione. Although, he had walked them through what they should do in case the brunette threw a fit, but that was the best he could do as he had never dealt with someone in such a sever state of depression.

Ginny finished filling the tub and then quickly flicked her wrist to warm the water before reaching into Hermione’s bag for the bath items they would need and placed them within arm’s reach of the metal basin, while Draco set the Golden Girl on the edge of a cot. When she was finished, she walked over to Hermione, still staring unseeingly in front of her, and slowly crouched down. However, the brunette witch flinched when the redhead reached out, causing Ginny to frown. She tried again, but once more Hermione recoiled before she could even touch her.

“It’s okay, Red…” Draco claimed sorrowfully while placing a gentle hand upon her shoulder. “I can do it…”

“I-I don’t understand…Why is she afraid of me?”

“I-I don’t know…May-maybe we just need to give it some time. I’m sure she’ll come around eventually.”

The redheads’ eyes began to water, making Draco feeling incredibly bad for her. He hated seeing women upset and if it wasn’t for Pansy, he honestly wouldn’t know what to do when confronted with an emotional girl. But thanks to his best female friend, he learned how to be relatively good at comforting those of the opposite sex. Pulling Ginny into a hug, he let her cry into his blood-stained shirt, and refused to say a word. Nothing he could say would ease her pain anyway, but he had learned from his mother and from Pansy, that sometimes not saying anything, was the best medicine.

After a few minutes of only desperate cries filling the shelter, Ginny slowly backed out of the Slytherins’ embrace and waited for him to undress her friend. She wasn’t a hundred percent comfortable with the blonde doing it instead of her, but if Hermione wouldn’t let her touch her, she had no choice; and she wasn’t about to use magic on someone who mentally wasn’t all the way with them anymore, in fear that it might do more harm than good. However, it did help ease her mind that Draco was the Gryffindor Princess’s boyfriend and she trusted him more than she trusted a lot of others lately. Which was saying a lot since the Malfoy heir was known to be deceitful and the best liar in their school.

Draco exhaled a sharp breath before taking a couple of steps forward, closer to Hermione. Kneeling down, he slowly reached out and gently cupped the brunettes’ cheek as he searched her eyes for any sign that she was aware of what he was about to do. He wasn’t comfortable with the idea of stripping his girlfriend when they had just starting dating, let alone in front of Ginny. But he didn’t have a say in the matter. He was the only one Hermione would allow to touch her, and they had to see her wounds in order to heal them. Last thing any of them wanted was for her to receive an infection they had no potions to cure, because they didn’t treat an injury.

“Princess…Hermione, I…I have to take your blouse off, okay…? Only for a moment, alright? I just need to see your wounds so I can heal them. If-if you feel uncomfortable at any moment…you tell me right away…Do you understand?” She slowly nodded her head as she stared off to the side as he adjusted himself in front of her. “Do I have your permission to continue?” he inquired softly while lowering his hands to her lap. She nodded her head once more and Draco, with trembling fingers, raised his hands and began to undo the buttons on her dirty blouse.

Once he was finished and her cream-colored bra was exposed, he helped the Gryffindor to her feet as Ginny nervously watched him begin to remove her pleated skirt. After he had eliminated everything except for her knickers and bra, he stepped back as he and the redheads’ lips parted in concern. Dry blood, cuts, and scrapes littered Hermione’s pale skin, but what pained them both the most to see, were bruises in the shape of handprints and fingers, covering her body as she crossed her arms before her in shame.

Nail marks raked across her stomach from the force the men had used to rip away her clothing, while contusions and welts riddled her ankles, wrists, ribs, and hips, and her knees were darkly discolored with old blood staining her flesh. Everywhere the duo gazed was another yellow, purple, black and blue mark that completely shattered their hearts.

“Oh, Mione…” Ginny began to sob with a hand pressed firmly against her chest.

“Hey, hey, hey!” Draco began as he rushed over to the red-headed Gryffindor and gritted his teeth together. “No…You need to stay strong for her, you hear me? Don’t you dare break down now. If you can’t hold it together then take a walk and come back when you’re ready. She doesn’t need anyone’s’ pity or-or you crying when she’s exposed like she is right now…I’m not trying to be callous here, Red, but she needs support. Not someone feeling sorry for her. Can you get it together?”

“I-I…” she choked as she looked passed the Slytherin and at her friend hanging her head low. “I-I can’t do this…”

“Okay” he nodded as he rubbed the sides of her arms with his hands. “Go get some fresh air. I got this…”

“But-”

“I have her, Ginny…No one is ever going to hurt her again.”

Pinching her lips together as she stared into Draco’s silver eyes while trying to contain her emotions, she quickly turned on her heel and rushed out of the tent with her face in her hands. She raced to the shelter directly next door, startling Blaise so much that he stood up quickly with his wand pointed out in front of him and fell over the cot he had been laying in.

“Sweet Merlin, Red!” he yelled while scrambling to his feet, but quickly softened his features when he saw his girlfriend doing her best to hold back the sadness she felt within. “Red…? Ginny…? What’s wrong, darlin?”

Ginny folded her lips in as she stood at the entrance, trying to not break down, while Blaise slowly stepped forward.

“They-they…They broke her, Blaise…E-every inch of her b-body appears to be covered in-in bruises and-and cuts…They hurt her…!”

“Ginny…”

“She’s scared of me!” she confessed through broken tears. “My best-best friend is t-terrified of me and I-I don’t know why…I don’t know why…” she shrugged while she began to whimper and fall to her knees as Blaise hurried over to her; embracing her in his arms as she wept.

“Shh, love. It’s going to be okay. She’s going to be fine” he whispered as he rocked the redhead back and forth while caressing the stern of her head. “She’ll be back to normal in no time…I swear it. She’s strong a-and she’ll get through this.” He pulled back and cupped both of her cheeks in his hands as he wiped away her tears with his thumbs. “She’s not scared of you….” He searched her brown eyes as she pressed her cheek against his hand, “she’s just afraid of the world right now.”

“But why is she okay with Draco? I should be the one she runs to…not him…”

“Oh, love…” he slightly shrugged as he bit his bottom lips and lowered his hands to take hers. “The human mind is…complicated. She sees Draco as safe because he saved her. It has nothing to do with me, or-or you, or even Draco really…”

“I could have saved her too. She knows I would have. If I would have just been-”

“Don’t-Don’t do that” he quickly cut in. “Don’t blame yourself and do not fall into the ‘what if’s’. It doesn’t do anyone any good to think about what could have happened. The point is, is that it did happen, and…and Draco just happened to get to her first. We can’t change it-we can’t go back. All we can do is move forward and give her time to heal.”

“But she needs me…” the Gryffindor claimed as her bottom lip trembled.

“Right now, she needs to find herself before she can find any comfort in us. I know it’s tough, love, and I know it’s hard, but…she needs her space. Draco will make sure she’s okay and he’ll let us know the moment she asks for you. Because she will. Just…it just won’t be right now…Come here” he requested as he pulled her into his chest and held her tightly. “We are all going to have to face things we believe we can handle. But we have to remember that in the end…we will always have each other.”

XX

Draco stared at Hermione for a brief moment as he tried to retain his own emotions and inhaled a deep breath before letting it out slowly. Bringing out his wand, he walked up the to the Golden Girl and explained clearly what he was about to do so she wouldn’t freak out. When he received her consent, he gently placed the tip of the Hawthorn wood against the large contusion on her cheek and wordlessly began to heal it. When he was finished, he slowly moved the wand down to the bruises across her neck.

But when he bent down to heal the injuries across her legs, he had to contain an undeniable rage, churning within his abdomen and making him both extremely pissed off and sick to his stomach at the same time. The damn bastards he had killed, had marked his witch with a large bite wound, leaving behind dried blood that had once trickled down her inner thigh. If he had thought he had hated those muggle men before brutally murdering them before, he sure as hell loathed the sons of bitches with everything he had now. If he ever found out they had families, he swore on Severus Snapes’ grave he would torture every last one of them and make them watch as he slaughtered them unsympathetically.

After taking in a deep breath and letting it out slowly, he continued to heal every part of her body and clear away as much blood as he could. He then charmed the ragged clothing he had removed from her earlier, into a pair of shorts and a camisole before helping her redress and guiding her to the tub.

However, when he tried to get her to step in, she refused. Relaxing his shoulders, he licked his lips as he tried to think of a way to get her in without forcing her, when an idea came to mind. Removing his own shirt, shoes, and socks, he charmed his trousers into long shorts and stepped into the warm water, all without letting go of her hand. Turning to face his Gryffindor Princess, Draco carefully encouraged her to enter by tenderly pulling her closer to him. When she complied, he smiled warmly and assisted her into the bath.

Sitting down, the Slytherin Prince allowed Hermione to sit between his legs. Once he thought she was comfortable, he reached over the side of the tub and picked up the metal cup Ginny had left for them. Filling the cup with water, he gently began to coat the bookworms’ back until he decided she was wet enough before picking up the bar of soap and lathering her exposed skin with the same sponge she had used on him in the river. The process was heartbreaking as Hermione stared at the cloudy water, refusing to speak, and he had to hold back the tears brewing in his eyes. Although, he allowed one to escape and roll down his cheek as he rinsed her reddened skin; wishing she would say something.

Draco missed her addicting smile and her joyous laugh, the light that sparkled in her eyes whenever she looked at him, but most of all…he missed her voice. He missed her argumentative nature, the way she annoyed him to death with her knowledge of muggle things, her playful banter. He just wanted her back, whether she still saw him as her boyfriend or not. He missed the Hermione Granger he grew up with, more than anything in the world.

Charming the liquid clean, Draco had the brunette witch lean back into him slightly so he could wet her hair. The shampoo foamed in the brown coils and he did his best to avoid hurting her has his fingers grazed over the small bald area where her curls were ripped out. As he massaged her scalp and neck, Hermione closed her eyes and released a soft moan in enjoyment, proving to the blonde that he was helping bring her back to him. After rinsing her wavy hair, he repeated the process with conditioner and washed her body again until he was sure she felt clean.

They both sat in silence for a long while as Draco waited until she was ready to get out of the tub; even going as far as to re-charm the water warm when it cooled. An hour had come and gone as they continued to rest; the tips of their fingers and toes pruned beneath the heated pool, but neither of them seemed to care. It wasn’t until a half-hour later that Draco had thought Hermione had fallen asleep with her knees tucked tightly against her chest and moved to stand up. However, he was quickly interrupted mid stance to the sound of the voice he desperately wished to hear.

“Hermione…?” he inquired softly while slowly lowering himself back down.

“It’s my fault…” she whispered as tears slipped from her lashes and she stared off to her right with her head resting upon her knees.

“What?”

“I wanted to take your pain away…”

“Hermione…” he sighed while leaning forward and sweeping her damp frizzy hair from her face.

“I prayed to take your pain away…” she continued as if he never said a word. “I prayed…” she paused for a moment as he gazed at her; wondering where she was going with her small speech. “I prayed for God to give me your pain…”

“You-you think your God-”

“It’s my fault…” her bottom lip trembled as she hugged her legs tighter.

“Hermione, this isn’t your fault” he stated firmly. “And y-your God didn’t do this to you. What happened to you isn’t your fault.”

She was quiet for so long time almost seemed to stand still as Dracos’ eyes darted back and forth while trying to understand her logic. He didn’t think her simple prayer for him when he was hurt, would cause her so much harm. He knew it wasn’t anyone’s fault except the horrible men who tried to take what wasn’t theirs. He had no idea how the woman he was falling hard for, would ever think she was to blame.

“I murdered two people in c-cold blood for h-h-hurting you…I committed the u-ultimate s-sin. In any religion…I deserved what happened to me.”

“Don’t say that!” he demanded as his brows creased in anger. “Don’t ever say that, Hermione, you hear me?”

“It’s my fault. It’s all…my fault…”

XX

After putting Hermione to bed, Draco sat on the edge of the cot as he listened to her breathing while she slept. He didn’t know what to do after her confession. It was the only thing she had spoken since they had arrived in Gettysburg and it was the only thing she had kept repeating over and over again. He couldn’t calm her, he couldn’t stop her, all he could do was hold her until she cried herself to exhaustion and fell asleep in his arms. The pain he felt for the bookworm…it was as if someone had taken his Aunts’ dagger and stabbed him repeatedly in the heart until the muscle was nothing more than a tattered mess he couldn’t fix. He had never felt pain like that before. He would rather suffer through the torture again in Salem than listen to the lugubrious cries of the woman he admired, claim she deserved to almost be raped.

Draco wanted to go back and kill those men all over again to release the anger he felt. He would run through a thousand battlefields if it meant Hermione wouldn’t have to suffer through the mental anguish she was now. All he wanted to do was help her but neither him nor his friends, knew what to do. Placing his face in his hands as his elbows rested on his thighs, he rubbed his fingers down his face as every inch of his soul wanted to scream.

Standing up with a deep intake of breath, the Slytherin Prince ran his fingers through his hair as he watched his witch sleep before turning on his heel and exiting the tent. He needed some fresh air before he destroyed something and allowed a tribe full of muggle Indians know just how powerful he really was.

As Draco stepped outside and walked a few paces away from the entrance, he exhaled sharply and closed his eyes to try and combat the mixture of emotions coursing through his veins.

“She is sleeping…?” a female voice questioned through the silence of the forest, startling the blonde wizard to the point that he had to grip his chest in surprise. “My apologies. I did not mean to frighten you” Tala expressed as she bowed her head slightly and set the work she was crafting down on her lap.

“No, it-it’s fine. I-I just didn’t see you there” he replied before looking around in confusion. “Wh-why are you sitting on the ground?” he inquired as he studied the large quilt the Native American woman was sitting upon as her long pin straight black hair hung over her shoulders.

“Grounding myself with nature. Becoming one with the Earth as a way to connect with the Great Spirit and Our Grandmother; to thank them for keeping us safe and for the blessings they have bestowed upon myself and what is left of my tribe.”

“Uhhhhhh, ohhh-kay…”

“You are confused…” she claimed, though more as a statement of fact than a question. “We do not believe in the same spirits. There is no wrong in this…My people, we believe in many things, but value the world around us most. Living within and as a part of nature. Being forever known by the tracks we leave on Earth. When a man moves away from nature and has forgotten the ground on which we stand is sacred, his heart becomes hard. If you see no reason to give thanks, the fault lies within yourself. I am connecting myself as a reminder to always give thanks…Please…sit…”

Draco raised a perplexed brow but did as he was told and took a seat on the quilt. Crossing his legs in front of him, he leaned forward and examined the object Tala was making, resting on her lap.

“What is that? If you don’t mind me asking…?” Tala smiled warmly as she held up the item to show the blonde.

“It is for your friend. I have others I wish to bestow upon you and your friends, but I feel Hermione needs it most right now. It is what the Ojibwe Nation call ‘Asabikeshiinh’.”

“I’m sorry, a what?”

“It means ‘spider’. Or what you might know it as, a Dreamcatcher.”

“…A what?” he asked again, making Tala giggle as she placed the sacred hoop on the ground in front of her.

“A Dreamcatcher, a once maternal keepsake, goes by many names, Draco, but the talismans hold the same purpose and meaning. When hung over where you rest, where the morning light can hit it, the catcher attracts all sorts of dreams and thoughts into its web. The hoop,” she pointed to the circle wrapped in a bent Red Willow branch covered in stretched sinews, “represents the circle of life. It allows good dreams to pass through and gently slide downwards through the feathers to comfort the sleeper below. Bad dreams, nightmares, are caught in the protective net and burned up in the light of day.”

“Like a spider web…” the Slytherin stated as he studied the intricate weaving.

“Yes.”

“So, what are the beads for?”

“Some say the beads symbolize the good dreams that could not pass through the web, immortalized in the form of sacred charms…”

“What do you believe?”

“I believe they symbolize the spider; the weaver itself.”

“And these Dreamcatchers, they actually work?” the Shawnee Chief smiled as she lifted the creation and continued to work on it.

“We may not have magic like you and your friends, Draco, but that does not mean we do not have magic of our own. If you believe…it will work.”

“You know about us too?” he questioned while resting his elbows on his knees.

“Caleb has told me much about you and I have met the ones who came before you as well. My cousin knows as well. But do not fear, we shall never tell your secret.”

“Uh…thanks.” Tala bowed her head in respect and continued to tie the last bead onto the Dreamcatcher in her hands. “So-”

“You can help her” she cut in as she raised her soft copper eyes to his grey ones. “But not in the way you believe.”

“Pardon me?”

“You should not take her memories. Our stories, our memories, they are our history. We learn from them; we grow from them. They create the wisdom we pass onto our children. Hermione cannot heal when she knows something is missing. Healing does not mean the damage never existed. It means the damage no longer controls our lives. Do not try to steer the river…Let the river be the guide.”

“I-I wasn’t planning to-”

“You were, Draco Malfoy. I have seen it before with the ones who came first. They, however, understood that no matter how cruel life can be, one’s past allows you to the discover who you truly are. If you take that from your friend…she will never forgive you. And she will never uncover her true strength.” Draco lowered his head in shame as he brought his knees up before looking towards the night sky. The stars twinkled brightly through the dense forest as he thought about how a woman, he once thought was a savage a few days ago, was right. Tala was nothing like the Powhatans his group had encountered in Jamestown. She was knowledgeable and more caring then a lot of people he knew in the present. She was a lot like Hermione now that he thought about it, and he not only respected the words she spoke, but saw her as a person with compassion, rather than a ruthless killer he thought her, and her people, were. “What is on your mind?” she inquired gently while reaching out and placing a hand upon the blondes’ knee.

“I just…I…”

“You do not know how to aid her?” Draco nodded his head as he licked his lips and his grey eyes began to water. “In order to help her, you must first help yourself. You are angry and sad…hurt…But you are not alone. When…When your people came to our land…it was not with open arms. It was with illness and guns, bibles of your God…They took our land and killed us with their weapons and disease and had the arrogance to call us godless savages. I have heard many stories from my ancestors about the pale man. I felt angry and for a long time; hated your kind. I wished revenge on the ones who stole from us. Pain for the ones who destroyed my family, my people, my tribe. But my elders…they were wise. Revenge is nothing but a way to increase injury. ‘He who hurts others often finds that they hurt themselves in the process’.”

“So, what did you do?” the Slytherin Prince inquired with a small shrug.

“My father always told me ‘A single twig breaks, but the bundle of twigs is strong. Our people is strong. We do not seek confrontation. Those who do, should always dig two graves’.”

“Wise man…”

“Very wise…Though my mother was the most wise and humble” she chuckled softly while looking down at the Dreamcatcher. “She taught me to always look to the sky and count the stars, for each one is a blessing given to us by the Great Spirit.”

“She sounds like a good woman.”

“What of your mother? What lessons has she bestowed upon you?” Draco scoffed as he thought about the things his mother had taught him growing up.

“My father was a large influence on her, and not in a good way. She did her best though given the circumstances…” he lowered his legs and leaned back on his hands as he looked up at the brightly lit moon hovering above them. “As a child, whenever I was…upset…she would hold me in her arms, and we would look out my bedroom window at the sun setting in the night sky. We would stay up all night talking about anything and every to distract us from the outside world…She would point out the moon and we would watch as it slowly disappeared behind the horizon until the early hours of the morning.” He lowered his eyes and stared unseeingly in front of him as he recalled the many memories he had with his mother over the years. “She would always ask me what I learned each time and…and I never quite understood what she meant. It wasn’t until I was about seventeen, going through the worst year of my life, that I finally realized why she kept asking me the same question.”

“What did you learn?” Tala inquired sweetly.

“The sun always sets, and the moon always looks different each time it appears…”

“It that all?” she questioned with a raised brow and a smile of confusion.

“No…” he smiled with a small scoff as he bit his bottom lip and turned his focus to the Native American. “Each one taught me something different. The moon…it taught me that it’s okay to go through phases, but the sun…The sun taught me that no matter how many times you go down, you’ll always keep rising…”

“That is a beautiful lesson. It is also how you help the woman you love.”

“What? I-I don’t love her…”

“There is an old Cherokee story that my elders have heard and passed onto me when I was just a child. One that holds a deep meaning I think you need to hear…”

“Um…alright…?”

“Everyone has two wolves within their hearts. Fighting to break free and become dominant. One is evil; he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.”

“Well that wolf and I seem to have a lot in common” he chuckled as he sat up straight and crossed his legs once more. “So, let me guess, the other wolf is good?”

“Yes…He is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith.”

“Like Yin and Yang…”

“I do not know what that is…” she stated as she narrowed her brows in bewilderment.

“It’s Chinese. Hermione told me about it a while back. It’s a balance between good and evil. You can’t have one without the other and they influence the destinies of creatures or…something.”

“Ahh, a wise concept. But these wolves fighting within you, within your friends, within Hermione…it is not about balance.”

“Okay, so then which wolf wins in the end? Which one is more powerful? There is always one that is stronger than the other” he questioned in interest.

“The one you feed…” she answered softly. “You be a liar Draco Malfoy, and you feed the evil wolf the most. It is time to start feeding the other. Do not lie to me about your feelings, but more importantly, do not lie to yourself. You are a good man who is in love with a broken woman…So be her sun…and help her learn to rise again.” With that said, Tala slowly stood up and walked over to a small basket sitting close to the tent Hermione was asleep in. Reaching in, she pulled out a plant and examined it for a moment before returning to the blonde wizard and handing him both the plant and the Dreamcatcher. “Burn these each night Hermione is asleep and hang the Dreamcatcher above her where the sun can shine its light upon it. She will get well in her own time, but until then…be her bundle of twigs…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **AN: I apologize everyone, but I have somehow found myself falling behind on this story. I used to have multiple chapters done and edited before posting day and now I am working on trying to write the chapter that is supposed to be posted next, the same week it’s supposed to be put out. It’s stressing me out writing that way, and with the holiday rush officially starting at work, and everyone wanting their dogs groomed before their family sees them lol, I have slowed in my writing. So unfortunately, Chapter 17 will not be posted next Sunday. However! I am not abandoning this story! I just need to take a moment to write out a few chapters and get back into the “staying ahead flow” I was doing when I first started this fic, without having a week deadline to do it. So, we are going to take a little holiday/winter break so that I can catch back up and have multiple chapters up and ready when I begin posting again. January 5th 2020 is the day Chapter 17 is expected to be posted and the story will continue. I hope you all have a wonderful Holiday and I will see you again next year!**


	17. Eye of the Beholder

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ** A/N: I’m BAAAACCKKK! Yes, you read that right! I am officially back and ready to continue this story! Miss me? Because I missed all of you! I do apologize if I did not get back to your latest reviews. I have just been so overwhelmed with everything and getting sick on top of it all. Anyway! I am back and hopefully I won’t fall behind again. I have a few chapters already written and starting to get back into my normal flow once more, so we’ll see! Enjoy!**

_“I am with you, I will carry you through it all, I won't leave you I will catch you, When you feel like letting go, Cause you’re not, you’re not alone” -Not Alone- Red___

_ _Chapter 17- Eye of the Beholder_ _

_ _July 5th, 1863_ _

_ _“Ugh! I am so done with being outdoors!” Blaise stated in irritation as he walked up to the quilt Draco was sitting upon just outside Hermione’s tent as the sun hovered above them in the afternoon sky. “I don’t know how these people do it. Is it too much to ask for a working toilet? I’m sick of using chamber pots and bushes to go to the bathroom…I miss toilet paper…I miss privacy” he sulked as he sat down and crossed his legs while resting his chin in his hand as everyone around them continued with their chores. “What are you doing?” he questioned while looking at the yarn-like material covering his blonde friend._ _

_ _“I’m trying to make a Dreamcatcher…” Draco replied before throwing the hoop down in frustration._ _

_ _“Are you supposed to be a part of it?” the Italian chuckled as he flicked the string hovering in front of the wizards’ face._ _

_ _“No!” the Malfoy heir snapped as he swatted Blaises’ hand away from him. “This shite is so much harder to make than it looks! Tala made it seem easy!”_ _

_ _“Tala taught you?”_ _

_ _“Well…no, not really. I was curious when she made Hermione’s the other night so, this morning when she started on Red’s, I watched her before asking for some supplies to see if I could do it too. She offered to help, but-”_ _

_ _“You’re stubborn and wanted to do it on your own…” he cut in as a matter of fact._ _

_ _“Shut up” Draco countered with an eye roll before picking the hoop back up and trying again._ _

_ _“I don’t get why you’re getting all snug with these people. I mean, you were there, mate. You saw what their kind did in Jamestown. What’s to say they won’t do the same to us and kill us in our sleep?”_ _

_ _“It’s been two days since we met them. If they wanted to kill us in our sleep, they would have done so already. Plus, they weren’t the same tribe, Blaise. You know that.”_ _

_ _“But they’re still Indians who can savagely murder us!”_ _

_ _“Do you know why the Powhatans attacked Jamestown?”_ _

_ _“Who cares?”_ _

_ _“Apparently not you…” Draco stated under his breath. “Look, Blaise…it was our people. And I don’t mean the white man or wizards, it was us, the English, who took their land, brought over diseases, refused to trade meaningful things with them out of spite, and kept them at arm’s length unless it was to exchange for food. We took away their homes and forced them to become workers a-and slaves. How would you feel if someone did that to you and the ones you love? That attack wasn’t without reason. Though I’m not saying what they did was the right way to go about it. We were just too ignorant to care and or research it.”_ _

_ _“Whatever…” Blaise shrugged as he realized his friend was right, except he was too tenacious to admit it aloud. “How’s Hermione?” he inquired gently as he tried to change the subject so he wouldn’t have to think about how a native almost killed him in the process of destroying a town._ _

_ _“Still sleeping…” the blonde Slytherin sighed as he bit his bottom lip._ _

_ _“She hasn’t said anything since that night?” the dark-skinned wizard questioned sullenly. “She’s been asleep for two days…”_ _

_ _“No, she hasn’t said anything…She wakes up every so often to use the chamber pot Red put in the tent, but she still won’t speak or eat anything.”_ _

_ _“Oh…”_ _

_ _“How’s Red?”_ _

_ _“Depressed…” Blaise sighed as he shifted to lean backwards on his hands. “She can’t grasp the idea that Hermione doesn’t need her.”_ _

_ _“But it’s not Hermione’s fault she doesn’t want her to touch her. It’s no one’s fault. She can’t control it…”_ _

_ _“I know that, and you know that…but she apparently doesn’t want know that.”_ _

_ _“Have you tried speaking to her about it?” the blonde questioned while holding up the Dreamcatcher and sticking his tongue out with a tilt of his head as he studied it._ _

_ _“Yeah, but she refuses to listen to me. I know I’m full of advice and told her to give Hermione some time but…” he sighed while throwing his head back. “I’ve got nothing. There’s nothing else I can say or do to help either of the girls through this.”_ _

_ _“Then listen to your own advice and give her some space” Draco claimed with a shrug. “Does this look like a spider web?” he asked holding the object out to Blaise._ _

_ _“It looks like a spider had a fight with a massive fly…and lost…” Draco slumped his shoulders and pulled out his wand while lowering the Dreamcatcher in his hand before discreetly untangling the mess with a charm and starting over. “Just go ask Tala for help…Salazar, I feel like a parasite!”_ _

_ _“A parasite?” the tall blonde inquired with a raised brow in confusion._ _

_ _“Yeah, a parasite! We keep…latching…on to the people of the past and hoping they can take care of us while we’re fucking licking our wounds from whatever torture that was handed to us!”_ _

_ _“Awe, well you’re my favorite parasite, Blaise” Draco joked._ _

_ _“I don’t cling to you!”_ _

_ _“No wait…” he paused and looked up for a moment as he thought about it. “Ringworm is my favorite parasite, you’re my second favorite…” Blaise was about to retort while giving his friend a dirty look before giving in and frowning. “No…I lied. Ringworm, then rats with the plague, then you.”_ _

_ _“Shut-up, you arse” Blaise scoffed with a small smile._ _

_ _“Got you to smile though…” Draco smirked as he went back to working on the keepsake._ _

_ _“I hate you…”_ _

_ _“No, you hate that I can cheer you up because all you want to do is feel all moody and upset when we should be grateful to even be alive right now.”_ _

_ _“Did those muggles hit you in the head a little too hard back in Salem? Since when have you become all optimistic? We ran through a fucking battlefield, mate. I don’t really see anything happy and positive about that.”_ _

_ _“Exactly…”_ _

_ _“What?”_ _

_ _“We ran through a battlefield” the Malfoy heir shrugged as he continued to wrap the string around the wooden hoop. “We fought off Confederates, I slaughtered three men, Hermione killed two, you helped save my life, and I know we all still have so much more to go through…But…” he gazed up at the Italian with a half-smile while lowering his hands, “we’ll get through it because we have each other. That’s the only reason I can be so positive about this.”_ _

_ _“That, and you already had your trial” the dark-haired wizard retorted with an eye roll._ _

_ _“That doesn’t mean anything. Look, just because I already survived almost dying doesn’t mean shite won’t affect me when it comes to my friends. Whatever the hell your ‘change’ is, it’s still going to hurt me. I don’t want to see anything bad happen to you, or to Red…You guys are my family.”_ _

_ _“Family huh?”_ _

_ _“Yeah, Blaise. Family. And it’s time I start feeding the good wolf. Time to let my walls down.”_ _

_ _“Yeaahh, I don’t know what that means…but I guess I love you too.”_ _

_ _“Fuck you!” he chuckled as Blaise shook his head and stood up._ _

_ _“So, I finally get you alone this time? I don’t have to share anymore?” he smirked._ _

_ _“You’re insufferable” Draco snorted while rolling his eyes._ _

_ _“True…” he ticked. “Well I’m gonna go see if Caleb needs any help with anything…Are you gonna be alright with your…thing?”_ _

_ _“A Dreamcatcher? Yes…eventually. Hey, before you go can you ask Tala if she has any more of those herbs, she gave me? Whatever they were, they seem to help Hermione sleep easier. She barely had any nightmares last night.”_ _

_ _“Was she sleeping next to you?”_ _

_ _“Not really. I haven’t actually slept much the last few nights, nor have I actually slept next to her when I do. So, I take walks through the woods and put a charm on her to alert me if she wakes up or stirs.”_ _

_ _“Alone?”_ _

_ _“I need to get over my fear, Blaise…I had my wand and I make sure to always stay vigilant, but…I can’t let what happened haunt me forever. Especially if I want to be able to protect…”_ _

_ _“Your girl?” the Italian scoffed lightly after Draco had trailed off._ _

_ _“You…and Red.”_ _

_ _“We don’t need you to protect us.”_ _

_ _“But I want to” the blonde sighed as he lowered his head and studied the mess in his hands. “I want to be able to be there for all of you…like you were with me. I want my life to mean something. I want my friendship with you to mean something.”_ _

_ _“Mate…You took me in when my mother no longer wanted me, even though we weren’t the best of friends before that. Your friendship means something…trust me…it means more to me than you’ll ever know-You’re more my family than my own flesh and blood, but that doesn’t mean you have to always protect me.”_ _

_ _“It does actually.” He glanced up that the dark-skinned wizard with somber eyes. “Malfoy’s are sworn to protect anyone we feel is significant in our lives. Someone who means everything to us; namely family, but it can include anyone. A magical bond is placed upon us as soon as we start to show magic. Although, the other person has to believe I’m family as well. Why do you think I always kept people at arm’s length; never allowing anyone to get close to me? I let anyone in and…”_ _

_ _“And you become their keeper…” Blaise spoke softly. “I’m familiar with the magic. So, that’s why you try to push Pansy away and why you didn’t give Hermione up in your manor…isn’t it?” he questioned while lowering himself back down to the quilt._ _

_ _“I didn’t know that she was important to me until I saw her, Potter, and Weasley being forcefully shoved through my front door…I-I also didn’t go to the Room of Requirement to get my wand back from Potter during the battle” he admitted while playing with the string on his lap. “Well I mean I did, but I mainly went to make sure she was alright. But then things got out of hand a-and Crabbe was stupid enough to conjure Fiendfyre…Then all this bullshite happened and…I don’t know. I knew I liked her and that it was wrong, which is one of the reasons why I always picked on her…but I had to get close to her, Blaise. However, in doing so meant I had to let Red in too…But I didn’t know saving her all the times I had, meant she would see me as family…Though in the end, I realized you all are worth bonding to.”_ _

_ _Blaise was quiet for a moment, making Draco rethink telling him about his family tradition. However, the Italian cleared his throat before he looked up at the blonde and rubbed the back of his neck._ _

_ _“Why didn’t you tell me all this before? I mean I knew you liked Hermione, but I never knew it went that deep. Though…it makes sense in a way. Why only you were allowed to really pick on her. Why you always seemed to have a hurt expression that you were quick to hide after insulting her…You weren’t trying to push her away, were you? You were trying to protect her…from you…”_ _

_ _“I guess I didn’t do that well of a job, did I?” the blonde Slytherin chuckled slightly while he continued to fiddle with the Dreamcatcher. “I couldn’t even push her away in the last era…”_ _

_ _“That’s why she bonded to you!” Blaise exclaimed in realization. “And why she sleeps more soundly with you next to her! Draco, you bloody idiot! If you would have said something sooner, we could have helped Red before all this happened!”_ _

_ _“What?”_ _

_ _“Your ‘keeper bond’ altered.”_ _

_ _“I don’t understand what you’re saying. How does that help Red?”_ _

_ _“Hermione didn’t bond to you just because you saved her, she bonded to you because of the link you share…! She loves you.”_ _

_ _“No, she doesn’t! She just started liking me and took her sweet ol’ time in doing so!”_ _

_ _“Then if her core didn’t alter the magical bond…yours did. Think about it. You are sworn to protect those you consider significant, family, important…How strong do you think that bond would get if the person you were protecting was someone, you’re in love with? Hermione linked to you back in Pompeii. Not here. Not after you rescued her. She considered you family after you sacrificed your life so she wouldn’t die alone. Either that or she thought of you as family when you saved her in the Ice Age, and she lashed out at you because it was clear as day that she was worried about your well-being.”_ _

_ _“Now you’re just blowing smoke out your ears!”_ _

_ _“Have either of you been able to use each other’s wands freely at all?” Draco opened his mouth to say ‘no’ when he suddenly remembered that he had used Hermione’s wand in Knockturn Alley, and he felt absolutely no resistance in doing so. He didn’t even think about it when he used the Vinewood to heal her ankle nor did he question how her wand worked so easily for him. “I thought so…This helps Red because Hermione only allowing you to touch her, isn’t due to her traumatized state. Although it is a factor. She’s clinging to you because her magic is molding with yours. Once it’s done, our little bookworm will no longer be scared of her best friend.”_ _

_ _“Melding with mine? A-are you saying we’re magically married?” Draco inquired with a raised brow and confusion written all over his face. “Like a marriage bond?”_ _

_ _“Merlin no! Okay maybe I explained it wrong. Let me start over. Hermione’s magic is melding with yours but it’s not permanent. One of the reasons she’s okay with you is because of your family…thing…Your bond altered in order to ‘protect’ her from something you can’t physically save her from. Like a spider web,” he pointed to the Dreamcatcher “to catch her as she falls; a blanket to wrap around her. The link allows her magic to use yours in order to help her recover because it can now fully recognize it as safe. Because you love her.”_ _

_ _“I don’t love her! Why does everyone keep saying that?”_ _

_ _“Whether you want to admit it or not, it’s evident you feel something stronger than admiration. You at least care enough that her magical core doesn’t see you as an enemy. And once her emotions level out, the bond will sever, and she’ll stop clinging to you so desperately.”_ _

_ _“So, you’re saying she won’t like me anymore? That she won’t want to be with me, a-and our relationship is what, a lie?” he asked sorrowfully._ _

_ _“Not at all! Her magic just won’t cling to yours so heavily. Your feelings for each other will stay the same. They aren’t based off of the connection you share right now. She’ll still fancy you and she’ll still sleep calmer while near you. Nothing that happened before what occurred in that tent, will change.”_ _

_ _“So, she’ll still want me? Even after her magic is done using me as a cushion?” he questioned hopefully. “…She’ll still need me?”_ _

_ _“Draco, after everything we have been though as of late, I don’t think anything in the world can stop her from wanting you or needing you. She didn’t murder those men because of the bond, that I can promise you. Your first kiss only allowed your cores to recognize each other, it didn’t cause her to have feelings for you. And…I can’t speak for Red, but as for me…if your oath forces you to protect me, well…I would be honored to have ‘my brother’ defend me.” He smiled warmly as he reached over and patted the blonde on the shoulder. “Just relax mate. Everything will work out the way it’s supposed to…Once I transfigure something into a toilet with plumbing. How the bloody hell did witches and wizard go without indoor plumbing?”_ _

_ _“They would usually wet themselves wherever they were and then charm their clothing clean afterwards” Ginny interrupted as she walked up to the boys with a morose expression._ _

_ _“Gross…”_ _

_ _“Can we get out of here? Go do something? I’m going stir crazy being cooped up in that tent all day and so far, none of the Natives need any help with anything. They are very good at setting everything up in a timely manner.”_ _

_ _“Yeah!” Blaise replied while standing up and brushing the nonexistent dirt from his trousers. “I was just about to go talk to Caleb anyway to see if I could help with anything. Maybe we can go on a walk or something if he can’t find anything for us to do.”_ _

_ _“I think I need a break too” Draco declared as he placed the Dreamcatcher into Hermione’s beaded bag for safe keeping._ _

_ _“Ca-can you check on Mione for me?” the redhead requested after biting her lower lip and frowning._ _

_ _“Already on it, Red” the blonde smiled before standing up and packing up the quilt. “You’ll tell her, right?” he asked Blaise before glancing to Ginny, who had already begun to walk away. “I don’t want anyone else getting hurt from this era.”_ _

_ _“I’ve got Red…You go check on your girl” Blaise claimed with a nudge before walking off to meet up with Ginny, causing Draco to stare unseeingly at the ground while heavily thinking about what his best friend had brought to his attention._ _

_ _Wednesday, May 13th, 1999_ _

_ _“Where is she? Where’s my wife?” Robert demanded as soon as he stepped out of the Floo with Arthur and Thorfinn directly behind him._ _

_ _After Elizabeth had refused to eat or speak to anyone and two and half days had passed, Rowle had Narcissa lower her wards to allow him to apparate out in order to collect the two fathers. Although, even with Molly’s instructions, it took him a couple of days to locate the Burrow as it was hidden well enough from muggles and from anyone who held the Dark Mark. However, after returning to talk to red-headed mother, who sent an Owl to her husband letting him know the former Death Eater needed access, Thorfinn tracked down the muggle dentist and brought him to the Weasley household. Once Arthur had lowered the wards on the towering home and the blonde had briefly explained the situation that was occurring at Malfoy Manor, the three men had dashed to the fireplace in order to get to the estate as quickly as possible without apparating due to Robert's distaste for the method of travel._ _

_ _Though while Rowle had spent the time tracking down the fathers, Molly had stayed back in order to help Narcissa take care of the children, who were too morose to go back to school just yet, and Hermione’s depressed mother. There was absolutely no way she would leave the dejected Malfoy to care for seven people. Not that she didn’t trust her, because she did in some unexpected way; it was more due to the fact that the Slytherin Queen was almost as unstable as ones in her manor. With Thorfinn out searching, Professor McGonagall unable to leave Hogwarts, and Bethany occupied with a class field trip full of Primary school children, the two women were left with no choice except to care for everyone until Hagrid could managed to return._ _

_ _None of the students had left their rooms as Pansy and Theo did their best to help the two mothers care for Harry, Neville, Luna, and Ron; the ones closest to the Gryffindor Princess. Neville and Luna were easier to pull out of their melancholy state, but it took a little longer to bring Ron and Harry back to reality. Fortunately for the Slytherin pair looking after the Gryffindor’s, they were able to calm the Boy-Who-Lived and his red-headed best friend with research about how strangers from the woods had killed a few Confederates known for raping women._ _

_ _According to a few unnamed sources, the men had apparently only volunteered to fight in the war in order to use their soldier status to gain women’s trust. The army had brushed it under the rug after searching for the culprits in the woods for hours, considering they had more pressing concerns trying to gain the upper hand during the Battle of Gettysburg, and pretended it had never happened; it was obvious they wanted nothing to do with men willing to put a woman over their American duties and erased their names from all documentation. However, a few soldiers had gone A.W.O.L from the camp shortly after the incident and the General claimed them as cowards too fearful to fight for what they believed was right…Even though what they thought was right, would evidently be their downfall._ _

_ _Narcissa lifted her head from her hands as dark circles rimmed her eyes and looked to the frantic man standing outside the hearth in despair, before lowering her face back down and continuing to softly cry as she sat upon the steps of the stage._ _

_ _“Yeh find ‘er in ‘er room, Mr. Granger” Hagrid spoke sullenly as he continued to rub Narcissa’s back with his large hand. He had returned to collect the students a mere hour before the men had arrived, but still thought the group needed more time. However, the Headmistress thought otherwise and believed returning to class would distract them from the horrors of the past. She also figured having the students return would lessen the responsibilities of the adults as they tried to compose themselves. “Ms. Molly is keepin ‘er comp’ny.”_ _

_ _Robert didn’t give anyone a chance to say another word before he frantically rushed out of the library. Arthur slowly stepped up to the sulking blonde witch and crouched down to her level while reaching out to remove her hands from her face._ _

_ _“Narcissa?” he began gently as she lingeringly raised her glistening blue eyes to his brown ones. “You did everything you could to help her. Please don’t feel down about this. Hermione will get through her trial and Elizabeth will be alright…Just like you got through what happened to Draco and just like Molly got through losing F-Fred.” He paused for a moment as he thought about his departed son and pinched his lips inward to try and keep his composer. “You’re all strong women. Probably stronger than any male I know.”_ _

_ _“S’pose I’ll go an’ see an elf abou’ some tea, eh” Hagrid stated as he cleared his throat and nodded to Thorfinn, who was leaning against a bookshelf with one foot pressed against the hard surface. Once the giant had left the room however, Rowle removed himself from where he stood and walked over to the pair by the stage._ _

_ _“Why don’t you go and check on Molly, Arthur” he insisted gently. “I’ll keep an eye on Narcissa and let everyone know when the children are ready. I’m sure your wife could use some support and I think it would be better coming from you than from me.”_ _

_ _“Good thinking” the redhead smiled weakly before standing up right and putting his hands in his pockets. “I’ll stop and see Ronald too.”_ _

_ _“Thank you, Arthur…” the Slytherin Queen spoke low while wiping fallen tears from her cheek with her fingertips. “And-and I’m sorry for not contacting you sooner…”_ _

_ _“Hush now, Narcissa. I assume it’s been a mad house around here trying to look after everyone. I understand that you tried to do things on your own before bringing the cavalry in. But I’m sure sending a house elf to find us would have been a lot quicker” he chuckled softly._ _

_ _“I honestly never even thought about that…” she stated dejectedly. “Keesy was busy in the kitchen making sure everyone ate and brewing everything from Calming draughts to Sleeping potions for the children and for Liz, Piskey is at Hogwarts aiding Madam Pomfrey with a Quidditch fiasco, and Valky is helping protect the muggle Prime Minister and the Royal family.”_ _

_ _“What?” Thorfinn cut in perplexed. “Why would they need one of your house elves?”_ _

_ _“There were bombings in London back in April. They caught the man, but the Prime Minister requested that our Minister for Magic send an elf to secretly watch for anything suspicious just in case” she explained while rubbing her neck with both hands to relieve the pressure of the knots forming from stress. “The Ministry required their elves back because the Auror Department was following a lead on a large group of former Death Eaters and needed assistance in tracking them. My family is the only household with multiple elves, so I sent Valky to help out temporarily. I-I received the Ministers’ Owl shortly after we calmed Elizabeth…I never even thought about calling him back…” she began to weep into her hands, causing Thorfinn to embrace her in his arms as Arthur reached out to comfort the mother._ _

_ _“Hey…it’s alright, Narcissa. No harm no foul as the muggles say” he wearily smiled. “We’re here now and that’s all that matters.”_ _

_ _“Of course,” she whispered as she wiped her nose with the back of her hand and Arthur passed her a handkerchief which he had pulled from his breast pocket._ _

_ _“I’m going to go check on my family…” the redhead spoke softly. “Would you like me to get you anything?” She shook her head ‘no’ so he proceeded to bow his head as the former Death Eater released the Queen from his embrace and turned to exit the room, leaving Thorfinn and Narcissa alone in silence._ _

_ _“A-are you certain you don’t need anything?” Rowle questioned as he shifted nervously next to the elder Malfoy._ _

_ _“H-how did we get here?” she queried while staring unseeingly in front of her; still holding the handkerchief in her hand that Arthur had given her while her forearms rested on her propped-up knees._ _

_ _“I don’t understand what you mean…”_ _

_ _“Do you remember all the vile things we saw happen in this house…?” she inquired as she turned her attention to Thorfinn, but as he opened his mouth to answer she focused back in front of her and continued to speak. “I mean…the Dark Lord…he was so…cruel” she claimed while her fingers grasped the fabric tighter. “I remember everything…the tortures, the rapes, the murders…people being forgotten in the dungeon…left to die until someone found their bodies weeks later…”_ _

_ _“Wasn’t the best of times…” Rowle answered gently while propping up his own knees to rest his arms upon them._ _

_ _“I-I thought after the final battle, after that monster was taken down, that everything was over; that we could all pick up the pieces of our broken souls and move forward.” She glanced at the blonde sitting next to her, studying her as he thought about where she was going with her small speech. “But I always knew where my son was-where everyone was. I could keep an eye on them and protect them from afar. Pretend to be callous so not to give myself up but to also keep them at a safe enough distance so they wouldn’t be harmed…And now…”_ _

_ _“Now Draco has be tortured by muggles and Hermione…Hermione-”_ _

_ _“Was almost raped…” she cut in as tears streaked down her cheeks. “Everything that happened in this home is happening to our children. Like it’s some sort of k-karma because we didn’t stop what occurred here when we had the chance.”_ _

_ _“Cissy…”_ _

_ _“I was scared then. When Voldemort overtook my home and made it his base of operations…And my husband let him. Like it was some sort of honor to have the man who single handily destroyed this family, live here, under this roof, as if it was his own. I was scared…But now…now I’m more terrified than ever because I can’t protect Draco. I can’t protect Hermione, or-or Blaise, or even Ginevra. I can barely protect the ones here now and I don’t know what else to do.”_ _

_ _“There isn’t anything else you really can do, Cissy…”_ _

_ _“What about you?”_ _

_ _“Whhaatt about me?” he queried with a puzzled brow._ _

_ _“Why are you helping us? After everything you went through with the amulet and the mess of the war…Why are you here? Is it because of what you encountered in the past?”_ _

_ _Thorfinn gazed into Narcissas’ blue eyes as he tilted his head sympathetically and in understanding before weakly smiling and looking down in front of him at the step below his feet._ _

_ _“We were friends once…Do you remember?” he asked while playing with the tips of his fingers. “But after you got married and had Draco…we sort of went our separate ways. I wouldn’t say we were the best of friends, like the Golden Trio, but we were up there. I’m not here just because of what the amulet put me through or the children…I’m here for you as well. I also don’t want anyone to ever go through this shite again. Muggles are…ruthless people, to put it gently. Not that magical folks like us aren’t too, but muggles…Merlin, they are one hell of a species. However, we should be learning from their mistakes and their flaws as well as their kindness and loyalty, Cissy. Those stuck in the past…as cruel as it may sound, are meant to be there. They’re meant to learn something to help them move forward in life-To grow as human beings. After my trials, as everyone seems to want to call them, I learned that everything happens for a reason and to mend my broken friendships because there is only so much time in the world…And you never know how much of it you have left.”_ _

_ _“So, you want me to just forget everything? Forget our history like it never happened?”_ _

_ _“I never said…” he sighed as he glanced up to the tall ceiling before lowering his head back down and gazed at his fingers. “You forgave Molly, right? The history you share with her is more…in depth than ours, but you two seem to have mended your hate for one another. Why can’t we do the same? We all need each other, Cissy; whether we like it or not. Might as well be friends again rather than let our primitive malevolence ruin our lives. I…I-I’d very much like to be your friend again…”_ _

_ _“And how do I know that you don’t have something up your sleeve? After all, you were a Slytherin as well and Slytherins are known to only do things for others if it helps themselves as well.”_ _

_ _“You don’t…” he claimed gently while turning his focus to her. “I can only give you my word that I’m not helping you out of selfishness or greed. I just want to contribute like everyone else…And if that means we become close again then so be it. If not…then it’s my loss and I’ll have no choice but to live with my decisions that caused me to lose one of the best people I have ever met.”_ _

_ _“I’m not that great?” she snorted while shaking her head in disbelief._ _

_ _“You are to me…” he whispered under his breath._ _

_ _“Pardon me?”_ _

_ _“Nothing” the blonde quickly corrected. “We should probably go and check on the children. See if they need anything before they head back to school.”_ _

_ _After Narcissa furrowed her brows in confusion, the pair slowly stood and began making their way to the exit when Pansy suddenly ran into them just as they stepped out of the doorway._ _

_ _“Oh!” Narcissa shrieked with a hand clutched against her chest._ _

_ _“I apologize Mrs. Malfoy; I didn’t mean to startle you…” Pansy claimed before turning her attention to Thorfinn, standing directly behind Draco’s mother. “Mr. Rowle…” she stated flatly._ _

_ _“Pansy dear, is everything alright?” Narcissa questioned gently while lowering her hand and eyeing the raven-haired girl in front of her, causing Pansy’s focus to dart back to her._ _

_ _“Everything’s fine, ma’am. Ron and Theo just wanted to ask you a question. Something about wanting to take the sheets in their rooms. They’re in Harry’s chambers now.”_ _

_ _“Well at least they have the decency to ask instead of just stealing the linen” the elder Malfoy scoffed with a small chuckle before walking away from the duo in the hallway and turned the corner to the guest corridor._ _

_ _“Ah ahh ah” Pansy spoke quickly with a raised hand as Thorfinn began to follow, and bewilderingly stopping him in his tracks._ _

_ _“Can I help you, Ms. Parkinson?” he inquired as he placed his hands in his pockets and sighed heavily._ _

_ _“What’re your intentions?” she queried while crossing her arms and staring at the blonde as if he was suddenly thrown into a muggle court hearing and she was the judge…and the jury._ _

_ _“I beg your pardon. My intentions?”_ _

_ _“With Mrs. Malfoy. What are your intentions with her?” she demanded to know, causing Rowle to chuckle for a moment before realizing the Slytherin Princess was serious._ _

_ _“You’re joking right? We’re just friends. And honestly, my ‘intentions’ as you put it, has nothing to do with you and I’m not discussing this matter with a teenager.”_ _

_ _“First, I’ll have you know I’m technically considered an adult and most likely know more about relationships than you do and second,” she held up a finger while still keeping her arms crossed, “it doesn’t appear that you are going to ‘discuss’ this matter with anyone else, and seeing as I overheard your ‘little confession’, and know Draco’s mother probably better than you-”_ _

_ _“What are you getting at, Parkinson?” Thorfinn hastily interrupted. “What confession?”_ _

_ _“Hmm, let me think…What was it she said…? Oh right, ‘I’m not that great’,” she repeated what Narcissa had said only moments earlier. “Where you then countered with, ‘You are to me…’.”_ _

_ _“So?”_ _

_ _“So, you like her?”_ _

_ _“I do not!”_ _

_ _“I thought Death Eaters were supposed to be good at lying. Wasn’t that what your whole ideology was modeled around?”_ _

_ _“What do you want, Pansy?”_ _

_ _“I want you to admit that you fancy Draco’s mother. I heard what you said, and I saw you as you watched her walk away just now. You looked like a hurt puppy who was just told he could no longer play at the dog park.”_ _

_ _“I did not!” he denied adamantly, until Pansy pursed her lips and shot him a knowing look. “Okay fine! Yeah…I-I fancy her; I always have. What of it?”_ _

_ _“I can help you” she claimed with a growing smirk._ _

_ _“Thanks…However, I am going to have to say no. Now is not a good time and if it was meant to happen it would. Besides, she’s still married and now is not the best time to pursue any more than what she is leniently giving me. No, I would rather work on our friendship. I don’t want to ruin it, especially when she doesn’t even feel the same.”_ _

_ _“Lucius is in Azkaban, Rowle. With absolutely no possibility of getting out. After a few years, she is free to divorce him without his permission. And how do you even know she doesn’t like you?”_ _

_ _“I just know, alright!” he yelled before shaking his head and taking a deep breath to calm himself. “I’m sorry. I-I didn’t mean to shout I just-I just can’t right now, okay?”_ _

_ _“Okay…I won’t press you on it.”_ _

_ _“Pansy?” a voice called out, interrupting the duo speaking as Harry turned the corner. “Oh, sorry…”_ _

_ _“It’s alright, Harry” Pansy smiled warmly. “What’s up?”_ _

_ _“Oh, nothing. I-I was just seeing if you wanted to take a walk with me to the kitchens and grab a snack before we leave, is all. Ron and Theo are heavily pleading with Mrs. Malfoy to allow them to take the linen. Going as far as to offer up their first borns’ as payment if she grants them the ‘oh so wonderful sheets’, which is a little much for linen” he claimed while rolling his eyes and chuckling softly. “I couldn’t take it anymore and figured I was hungry anyway. And if you weren’t doing anything…”_ _

_ _“Of course, Harry! Meet you in your room in a few?”_ _

_ _“Okay!” the raven-haired Gryffindor smirked happily before heading back down the hall; causing Thorfinn to raise a knowing brow at Pansy._ _

_ _“You know, for someone who thinks she knows everything about relationships, you have sure gone blind to your own.”_ _

_ _“What?’ she questioned, slightly taken aback. “You mean Harry? Harry and I?” she began to laugh as the former Death Eater crossed his arms and smirked. “You have got to be joking! Once Draco returns, he and I will be together. And Harry and I are just friends. We don’t like each other like that.”_ _

_ _“Do you really believe all the lies you keep telling yourself? Draco and Hermione quite literally killed for one another. You honestly think that once he returns, he’s going to want to be with you? I mean no offense, Parkinson, and I’m not trying to hurt your feelings, but they are traveling through time together and growing closer as we speak. Furthermore, and I can’t stress this enough, it’s painfully obvious you are growing feelings for the Wizarding Savoir. I’ve seen the way you look at him as well and how you go above and beyond to care for the boy. I wouldn’t throw the idea out the window for the Owls to catch just yet. Maybe the Potter boy is someone worth fancying. He seems to treat you exceptionally well. Why not give him a chance?”_ _

_ _“You’re delusional.”_ _

_ _“Apparently…so are you…”_ _

_ _Pansy scoffed as she rolled her eyes before pushing passed the blonde in order to meet up with Harry. Although, while she strongly thought about what Thorfinn had mentioned, concerning Draco and Hermione, something inside of her was telling her to move on from the blonde Slytherin and consider what the former Death Eater had suggested. Not that she thought Harry would go for it or even fancy her in return, but would pursuing the Gryffindor Golden Boy be worth ruining their newfound friendship over? Or was it something that might end up making them both happy in the end?_ _

_ _July 5th, 1863_ _

_ _Draco walked into the tent Hermione was staying in and set her bag down near the entrance before summoning a chair to his hand. He made his way over to the brunette laying in the cot, set the chair down next to her, and leaned back while crossing his arms. He studied her for a moment as she slept soundly and took in her features. The red marks left on her flesh after he had healed her injuries, were no longer visible. The wounds had disappeared, leaving her smooth ivory skin unblemished once more. To him, she simply looked as perfect and as beautiful as he'd always remembered her to be._ _

_ _Except she wasn’t the woman he knew anymore. She could appear to be as flawless as a diamond, but without her spirit, her heart…the very things that made Hermione, Hermione…ended up making her just another ghost of a person Draco had once known. He needed to figure out a way to bring her back to him. He had given her time to wallow over what had happened and now it was time to pull her out of it. No one liked seeing her so down and Draco of all people knew how much his witch would berate him and do everything in her power to pull him out of the slumps if the roles were reversed. Fortunately, he knew how to do it…except neither of them would end up liking the method he chose to use in order to do so, or the hard questions he would need to ask._ _

_ _“Hermione…” he whispered while leaning forward and resting his elbows on his thighs, knowing she wasn’t fully asleep, “Hermione I know you’re awake. I saw your eyelashes flutter.” Slowly opening her eyes, Hermione flickered her gaze over the blonde staring at her, before looking down at the bed she laid upon to avoid his grey irises. “You have to get out of this bed, love. You can’t hide out in here forever. I know what you went through was-”_ _

_ _“You have no idea what I went through…” she argued in a near whisper, causing Draco to press his tongue firmly against the corner of the inside of his mouth as he fought against the urge to snap at her. “Just…go away…please?”_ _

_ _“No!” he stated in aggravation._ _

_ _“Go away, Draco. You don’t know anything about me or what I went through. I’m not you and I can’t just get over this.”_ _

_ _“You honestly believe that I think you’re anything like me? Salazar, if you think that then we are both in trouble. I hope to Merlin you will never be like me and like it or not, I know damn well what you went through, Hermione. You’re not the first person I’ve saved from almost getting raped, nor are you the first person I’ve comforted after an ordeal like that. Don’t presume to tell me what I do and do not understand._ _

_ _“You’ve been hiding out in this tent for days and refused to allow your best friend to get close to you! You’re not the only one affected by what happened and it’s about time you sat up and stopped feeling sorry for yourself and stop using my magic as a buffer to shield you” he claimed before noticing she had just buried her face further into her pillow. “Look, Hermione…I-I’m sorry for being blunt and getting upset, but you can’t act like you’re the only one in the world who has had to deal with bad shite. And if you don’t wanna talk about it, fine, but you owe it to yourself to collect your broken pieces and walk away from all this because at least you still can. You have way too many people to count, that care for you and hate seeing like this.”_ _

_ _“Hate seeing me like this…” she hissed as she turned her face to him, though it was more as a statement than a question. “You think I enjoy seeing myself like this? You think I like knowing I’m scared of the world around me o-or that I’m apparently using you? Or the fact that what happened to me was my fault?”_ _

_ _“How long are you going to allow this to hurt you?” he inquired in a softer tone while tilting his head to the side. “How long are you going to blame yourself for other’s choices? You never once let the harmful things I did and said to you growing up, depress you. You never even allowed the actions of my Aunt to keep you down. So, tell me why you’re allowing those men to win?”_ _

_ _“I’m not allo-”_ _

_ _“Don’t…lie to me. It’s clear as day that you are, so tell me why you won’t even allow Ginny to comfort you? Why are you afraid of her?”_ _

_ _“I’m not afraid of her…”_ _

_ _Draco studied the brunette for another moment as he thought about the root of his girlfriend’s struggles. He knew she was strong enough to get through her predicament, but with everything else that had happened in her life on top of it, he knew there had to be a deeper meaning behind her depression. He just had to figure out precisely what was causing her to blame herself and turn her friends away and why she feels it’s enough to break her._ _

_ _“Then why won’t you let her touch you? O-or see you while your awake, love? She misses you. Hell, even Blaise misses you.”_ _

_ _“It’s better this way…” she whispered as a tear fell from her lashes and she pulled the blanket laying across her body closer to her chest. “It’s probably best that we break up as well…”_ _

_ _“What? No! Why?” he queried in utter confusion and shock. The last thing he wanted was to hear her say she didn’t want him anymore and it caused his breath to catch the second the words left her lips. “I-is that what you really want? T-to not be with me anymore?” he questioned in a slight panic as his bottom lip trembled._ _

_ _“I’ll just bring you down with me…” she declared sullenly causing the blonde to reach out and tightly encase her hand in his._ _

_ _“Hermione…I-I don’t want to lose you. Please don’t do this. Please don’t break up with me.”_ _

_ _“I don’t want to end this, Draco…” she affirmed softly while flicking her watery gaze to his tear-filled eyes. “I can’t let you get hurt too.”_ _

_ _“Hurt too? What are you talking about?”_ _

_ _“Everything…”_ _

_ _“Okay, let’s sit up” he requested while gently helping her into the sitting position before brushing her damp curls from her face. “Talk to me, Princess. Tell me what you mean.” Hermione lowered her head and was silent for a couple of seconds before Draco delicately lifted her chin with two of his fingers. “Hermione…talk to me, darlin. Why do you want to break up?”_ _

_ _“It’s what you’re going to do eventually…break up with me.”_ _

_ _“The last thing I want to do is ever leave you, love.”_ _

_ _“You won’t want me once you realize you can find someone better” she stated after biting her lip nervously. “Someone…someone who-”_ _

_ _“Are you saying what I think you’re saying? That I-I want someone who hasn’t been almost raped? Hermione-”_ _

_ _“Someone who is less miserable” she continued; completely cutting him off “and despondent…and a magnet for destruction. Everywhere I go, everything I do, something bad happens. The war, you, this…” she gently shrugged while waving a hand in the air to further prove her point. “Everything that has happened to me has had a negative effect on everyone else.”_ _

_ _“That’s not true-”_ _

_ _“Isn’t it?” she interrupted as she firmly held his gaze. “Draco…Why did you protect me in your family’s manor?”_ _

_ _“What does that have to do with anything?”_ _

_ _“Why?” she demanded, causing Draco the pause for a moment in confusion._ _

_ _“Because I didn’t want to see you hurting anymore” he answered softly. “I didn’t want any of you to be there, Hermione. That’s why I lied about recognizing Potter and why I did what I could to shield you.”_ _

_ _“And what happened afterwards?”_ _

_ _“What?” he raised a brow in further confusion._ _

_ _“What happened after Bellatrix realized what you did?”_ _

_ _“Hermione-”_ _

_ _“What happened?”_ _

_ _“She never found out what I did” he admitted quickly. “Okay yeah, she tortured me with the Cruciatus Curse for a few hours and tried to enter my mind so she could figure out how you didn’t sustain more damage, but…she never discovered what I did. The only person who knows is my mother and that’s because she watched me do it.”_ _

_ _“So, because I didn’t just admit to your Aunt exactly how Harry, Ron, and I came across the Sword of Gryffindor, or tell her it was the real one, I was subsequently cursed repeatedly and branded, which caused you feel bad enough to want to protect me. In turn, you were tortured. There’s also the time I didn’t stop to take in Ron’s feelings while on the hunt for Horcrux’s and it caused him to abandon us for months. Or how about the choices I made that caused you and everyone to pick on me growing up. And it all started because I chose to befriend Harry. Or-”_ _

_ _“Stop-”_ _

_ _“Or how about at the museum where instead of doing more in order to get you to put the amulet back, I grabbed Ginny’s wrist, which caused all of this…”_ _

_ _“Please stop-”_ _

_ _“Or the fact that because I couldn’t admit that I liked you in Salem, caused you to run off and be captured and tortured by muggles! Or the fact that I went off on you in Pompeii, or forgot to place the repelling charm in the Ice Age-”_ _

_ _“Enough!” the blonde Prince yelled while standing up as the chair he was sitting in fell over behind him. Hermione looked up at him in a mixture of sadness and shame as Draco ran his fingers through his hair to try and calm himself while taking a deep breath and releasing it slowly. “The amulet was all of us. Not just one person. We are all to blame for it, Hermione and you are not to blame for that stupid relic placing you far away from us” he continued while crouching down in front of her and taking her hands in his. “You-you mentioned back in China that I was number two on your list of people to forgive, but you never explained why I wasn’t number one when we both know I should be…I’m not changing the subject but I have to know if what I’m thinking is correct…Hermione...who’s at the top?”_ _

_ _“It doesn’t matter…The point is, is that you’re not and-”_ _

_ _“It’s you…isn’t it?” he inquired gently, causing the brunette to avert his gaze. “I’m right…You’re trying to forgive yourself for things way out of your control…Love, look at me” he requested while tenderly turning her face to him with the tips of his fingers. “I’m only going to say this once, so I want you to pay attention. What I did to help you all those times, the manor, the Ice Age, Pompeii, those were my choices. They weren’t because of something you did. Even if you weren’t tortured by my Aunt, I would have found another way to try and help you and your friends escape. My mother and I were already trying to figure out a way to help those already imprisoned in our dungeon. Bellatrix would have cursed me regardless if you were there or not. During the Ice Age…I would have done the same thing if that man went after Red or Blaise…And Pompeii…You had every right to be upset with me. I was upset with myself for putting us all in danger. But what happened was an accident. You can’t fault yourself for my actions.”_ _

_ _“Draco…”_ _

_ _“And in Salem,” he continued while searching her brown eyes closely, “I chose to walk away because I was fully aware that I pushed you into trying to make a decision we both knew you weren’t ready to make at the time. And as for Weasley…He’s an idiot who was wearing part of the Dark Lords’ soul around his neck for hours. I overheard him talking, well bragging more like it, about it a few months ago to some younger female Hufflepuffs, to impress them, I guess. He told them about how the locket changed him and about how much he ‘suffered’. I mean come on; you know those Hufflepuff types, they feel bad for anyone who fought in the war and babied him. I’m not saying he’s a bad guy, he just pulled my move when I was attacked by Buckbeak third year. Pretended things were worse than they actually were. Except, I promise I grew out of that teenage behavior” he smiled while delicately cupping her right cheek. “But Hermione, I believe him when I heard him tell the girls that he only left you and Potter because the necklace basically forced him to. It wanted to separate the three of you. Make your group weaker. And it used him to do so.”_ _

_ _“That doesn’t explain why you and Parkinson, and everyone else, belittled me and tore me down for years. And now…now you want to be with me when the whole reason you and your friends hated me was because-”_ _

_ _“It was nothing you did, love” he hastily cut in before she could blame another thing on herself. “We were kids and we thought you, and Potter, and especially Weasley, were easy targets. Look, I have my reasons for hating Potter at the time, but none us feel that way now. You did nothing wrong. It was me who instigated everything, and it was me who held the power over others to help bring you down. And we both know my father would have killed me if he knew I secretly wanted to be your friend…secretly liked you-You can’t control what blood runs through your veins, Princess, and you can’t control how I was raised to think…but I never actually hated you. My reason for singling you out was all for show, Hermione, so that I could feel like I had the authority. Yeah, your incessant need to top me in almost every class was downright infuriating, and the fact that you always had an answer for everyone was annoying, but that is just who you are…and I wouldn’t want you to change that for the world.”_ _

_ _“But those men…”_ _

_ _“Those men were savages and they're dead” he claimed adamantly while rubbing the back of her hand with his thumb. “The amulet chose to separate you from us so that you could learn the true meaning of vulnerability. You have been so strong and brave for everyone else that you haven’t really understood what it was like to be…weak. And those men, they were cowards who tried to take what wasn’t theirs and you did a damn good job of fighting back. I know because I took a glimpse at the memory while you were sleeping. I-I’m sorry, but I had to know what happened.”_ _

_ _“Don’t apologize” she stated while lightly shrugging as her gaze flickered over his face. “I-I guess it’s only fair after I probed your mind.”_ _

_ _“You did a little more than probe my mind” Draco chuckled, which caused a soft smile to form on his witchs’ lips. “You sort of saw almost my entire life when I let you in.”_ _

_ _“I’m sorry, I-I never entered anyone’s mind like that before…”_ _

_ _“Why are you apologizing? This isn’t about me. I’m here to help you in any way I possibly can. You helped me when I needed you the most. Even when I didn’t want it…It’s my turn to return the favor. After all, isn’t that what couples do?” Hermione began to smile a little more, which caused the Slytherin Prince to smirk and gently squeeze her hand in his. “No, seriously…I’ve never been in a serious relationship before, so I have no id-” he tried to continue when he suddenly felt warm lips press hard against his, shocking him for a moment._ _

_ _Hermione then wrapped her arms around him as his hands snaked across her ribs, and let the kiss linger briefly before she pulled back and buried her face into the crease of his neck._ _

_ _“I don’t know how to be me anymore…” she whispered before sitting back as Draco stood up and sat down on the end of the bed next to the Gryffindor. “How am I supposed to move on from this?”_ _

_ _“Somedays will be easy” the blonde began with a deep sigh, “and other days it’ll be hard. However, be it easy or hard, the path is still the same.”_ _

_ _“What?”_ _

_ _“The first step to healing, Hermione, is having the will to stand up and face your fears. Regardless if the path is the same, all you have to do it start.”_ _

_ _“Like you’ve been doing with the woods…” she claimed, though more as a statement than a question because she was fully aware of her surroundings since they had arrived in the mountains and had heard everything that occurred in and around her tent. The only thing she couldn’t recall was how she got to where she was after Draco had saved her._ _

_ _“Yeah…like I’ve been doing with the woods” he answered quietly. “Listen, Princess, no one wants to rush you. You have to heal in your own time and unfortunately, it’s something you have to learn to do on your own, but just tell us what you need, and we’ll do it for you. We will walk by your side until you tell us you no longer need us. Whatever it takes for you to feel normal again. However, in the famous words of Dumbledore, ‘unless you learn to forgive the past, forgive the situations that were never truly your fault, and more importantly, learn to forgive yourself…you’ll never be able to move on’.”_ _

_ _The brunette leaned her head upon Draco’s shoulder and faintly sighed as she played with the blanket still set on her lap. The couple sat in silence for a few minutes as the rustling of the wind outside of the tent beat gradually against the fabric._ _

_ _“Did you really mean everything you said?” Hermione questioned without looking up. “About Ron and…and you?”_ _

_ _“Yes…We all make mistakes, Princess…” the blonde claimed as he reached across his own chest to brush a couple strands of her hair from her face. “Except, what occurred on that battlefield was not on you. If anyone is to blame, it’s me after I made the biggest mistake of my life and hurting you that day when I first ever called you that horrid slur. For all we know if I didn’t do that then we wouldn’t be in this mess right now. But the key is knowing when it’s your fault and when the circumstances are simply mere coincidences. You can’t focus on the ‘what if’s’, love. It’ll end up destroying you.”_ _

_ _“Since when did you become the positive one of our group?” she giggled sweetly while hugging his arms close._ _

_ _“Since I’ve finally opened my eyes to someone worth being positive for…”_ _

_ _“Oh, yeah?” she inquired while gazing up at her boyfriend who was tenderly smiling down at her. “Who’s that…?”_ _

_ _“You…” he warmly smirked and was about to lean in to kiss his witch again when he heard his name being shouted in an annoyed tone._ _

_ _“Draco!” Blaise called out as he stormed up to the tent the couple was talking in. “Draco, I need you-Oh…Hermione…” he stated slightly stunned when he entered the shelter and saw the pair seated on the cot. “You-you’re awake” he claimed while nervously stepping forward as the couple rotated. “H-how are you feeling?”_ _

_ _“I’m…I’m awake…” the bookworm shrugged sullenly._ _

_ _“Well it’s a start” the Italian weakly grinned. “D-Do you need anything? Can I get you anything?”_ _

_ _“No, thank you…”_ _

_ _“Okay…”_ _

_ _“Did you need something, Blaise?” Draco queried as the dark-haired wizard stared at Hermione as if she was going to break at any moment. However, the blondes’ question pulled him from his stupor and he quickly shook his head before looking to his best friend._ _

_ _“Oh, uh yeah…Can you talk to Red? She won’t listen to me.”_ _

_ _“And what makes you think she’ll listen to me?”_ _

_ _“Because Buttercup here, is in no shape to talk to her and you two have some sort of sibling-like bond thing going on. Anyway, I need you talk to her? Convince her that she’s being completely irrational.”_ _

_ _“About…? You sort of need to give me a little bit more to go on than that.”_ _

_ _“She wants to go hunting…with Anoki and a few others…in an hour.”_ _

_ _“Why?” Draco questioned in bewilderment. “She was dead set against it when you brought it up in the Ice Age. Wait are you really tattling on her? To me of all people?”_ _

_ _“It’s not tattling! And apparently she thinks it will distract her from everything and ease her mind from going stir-crazy.”_ _

_ _“Huh…so you’re friends with Anoki now?”_ _

_ _“He helped me get a fish off my big toe a few minutes ago-Don’t ask, it’s not important” the Italian huffed as he held a hand in the air and shook his head in embarrassment._ _

_ _“But…I have sooo many questions right now that need answers. Like why you’re tattling on Red and how you got a fish stuck to your toe, and-”_ _

_ _“Will you help me or not?” he asked determinedly as Draco chuckled into his hand._ _

_ _“I don’t really see what’s wrong with her wanting to go hunting. If it’s something she feels she wants to do, why stop her?”_ _

_ _“Because…Because…” the dark-skinned wizard began while fumbling over his words._ _

_ _“Because she’s a woman?” the blonde inquired while standing up and crossing his arms._ _

_ _“No…! It’s…It’s just dangerous! And you said it yourself; she was against it in the Ice Age so…”_ _

_ _“So, she had a change of heart. Blaise, mate, she has done more dangerous things in her life than you ever have. If anything, having her with you would be a good thing. Think of her as your bodyguard from any big bad animals.”_ _

_ _“I don’t need a bodyguard! I’m not even going! And I need you to tell her she can’t go!”_ _

_ _“I’m not her father!”_ _

_ _“No, but you’re the sanest one right now…No offense, Buttercup.”_ _

_ _“Fine!” the Prince stated while rolling his eyes and sitting back down on the cot. “I’ll talk to her, but I’m telling you right now that it won’t do any good.” Blaise eyed him for a moment before Draco realized his friend was still at the entrance to the tent and looked back at him in irritation. “What?”_ _

_ _“Now please…We don’t have a lot of time before they head out.”_ _

_ _“You said they leave in an hour.”_ _

_ _“Yeah, which means you’ll need as much time as you can to convince her this is a stupid idea.”_ _

_ _Throwing his head back and groaning in annoyance, Draco looked to Hermione, who simply shrugged her shoulders, before glancing back to Blaise with displeasure written all over his face._ _

_ _“Trust me, it’ll only take me about a minute to speak with her. Besides, I’m a little busy if you couldn’t already tell.”_ _

_ _“I’m aware…”_ _

_ _“You’re not going to let this go until I come with you, are you?” Draco questioned with a deep sigh._ _

_ _“Nope.”_ _

_ _Softly groaning, the Malfoy heir rolled his eyes once more and stood up. Leaning down, he kissed Hermione on the top of her head and told her he would be right back before waving a hand at Blaise while following him out of the shelter. The boys walked through the camp and headed down to the lake with Draco huffing the whole way; peeved his friend was forcing him to do something so insignificant when he was finally making progress with his girlfriend and her depression._ _

_ _The lake wasn’t very far from the camp, but it was far enough away that Draco began to grow even more irate that he was missing time with Hermione. He missed her more than words could say and even though they had only just started dating, he felt like they had been together for a lifetime. He had patiently waited days for her to speak to him and when she did, he didn’t want to stop. Now his best friend was dragging him through the woods to try and stop his own girlfriend from wanting to distract herself, and it caused his annoyance to grow. He just wanted to get back to Hermione._ _

_ _“Ahh, Blaise!” Anoki grinned with his hands outstretched. “Oh, I see you brought Draco. Come to join us, Mr. Malfoy, Mr. Zabini?”_ _

_ _“No” the blonde claimed firmly._ _

_ _“Is…is everything alright? Do you wish to speak with Caleb? He has gone back to camp to collect a few items before we leave.”_ _

_ _“Everything is fine, Anoki” Blaise quickly stated. “And we don’t need Caleb right now. Where’s Red-I mean Ginny?”_ _

_ _“She be over by the horses” the Native American replied while pointing behind him with his hand. “Would you like me to get her for you?”_ _

_ _“Nope” Draco responded while uncrossing his arms and storming past his dark-skinned friend, leaving Blaise to sulk his shoulders and Anoki to watch perplexed._ _

_ _“Red!” the blonde yelled, startling the redhead as she placed a wool blanket over her brown horse and causing others to look in his direction._ _

_ _“Godric, Draco! What?” she huffed while holding a hand to her chest._ _

_ _“Blaise said you wanted to go hunting with the guys.”_ _

_ _“Yeah, so? Merlin, he actually tattled on me? That child! He really thought that would work?”_ _

_ _“Apparently-Anyway, I so eloquently interrupted my headway with Hermione to come and speak to you about it.”_ _

_ _“Okay…” she raised a brow before returning to the task of setting her up horse to ride. But when Draco didn’t say anything and just watched the witch flatten the blanket out, Ginny turned her head and extended her chin forward. “Sooo, are you gonna talk or just creepily watch me?”_ _

_ _“Nope. We just talked; I’m done. Have fun!” he waved before turning around, only to crash directly into an angry Blaise._ _

_ _“Are you joking right now?” the Italian inquired while crossing his arms._ _

_ _“What, Blaise?” the blonde groused while rubbing his fingers across his brow._ _

_ _“That wasn’t a talk!”_ _

_ _“Your damn right it wasn’t!” he yelled before sighing heavily and turning back to face the Gryffindor. “Fine! Red…?”_ _

_ _“Yes, Draco?” she brooded._ _

_ _“Do you really want to hunting with the guys?”_ _

_ _“Yes, Blondie. I do.”_ _

_ _“Why?”_ _

_ _“Why?” she scoffed while throwing her head back. “Because I’m losing my damn mind staying at camp and I want to do something different. I want to explore different possibilities and I want to learn about something I was always against. If I’m going to continue to eat meat I should at least know where it comes from and the process people used to take in order to provide for themselves and each other. Anoki said he was willing to safely teach me! Is that a problem?”_ _

_ _“Nope! Have fun!” he ticked while smiling wildly and tried to turn around once more, only to be stopped by Blaise again._ _

_ _“What is your problem?” he demanded adamantly._ _

_ _“My problem? My problem is that my girlfriend is just starting to talk again and almost willing to come out of that tent and you have me all the way the fuck out here talking to your girlfriend! Red is a grown woman who can make her own damn choices in life! She doesn’t need a babysitter or someone to talk her out of wanting to hunt for survival or learn about it! And I really want to get back to Hermione so when you decided you want to be supportive of her and lose the damn condescending attitude, we can all be on our merry fucking way and I can get back to helping my girl! So…are you done? Because I honestly do not have the time to play middleman and advocate for either of you right now!”_ _

_ _“Salazar…Alright! Geez” Blaise expressed while holding his hands up in defense._ _

_ _“Thank you!” he replied strongly._ _

_ _“Sorry, mate.”_ _

_ _“Don’t apologize to me, Blaise” the blonde continued while trying to calm his temper. “Just be a supportive boyfriend to your damn witch and respect her choices!” he finished before jolting the wizards’ shoulder with his own as he stormed past his friend in order to head back to the charmed shelter._ _

_ _As Draco marched into camp and entered the tent, he was suddenly thrown off guard when he discovered it was empty of any living being. Terrified and confused as to where Hermione had gone, he quickly exited as his heart pounded in his chest and searched around the campground for the Gryffindor. He asked several people if they had seen her before coming across a group of children who finally directed him towards where she’d wandered a few huts down. Rushing to where the children had pointed, the Malfoy heir immediately halted his stride, as he was about to round the corner of a wigwam, with wide eyes._ _

_ _Sitting on the same blanket the blonde had sat upon a few days earlier, Hermione smiled up at Tala, who appeared to be teaching the brunette how to weave a basket for gathering berries and other fresh herbs. The two women were talking as the Native gathered more material placed next to her, causing Draco to breathe a sigh of relief. However, he didn’t want to interrupt and ruin the moment, so the Slytherin Prince instead chose to watch from afar as the first laugh, he had heard in a long while, escaped his Princesses’ lips._ _


	18. Chapter 18- Breathe Again

_“Wait, it's just about to break, it's more than I can take, Everything's about to change, I feel it in my veins, it's not going away, Everything's about to change” -War of Change- Thousand Foot Krutch_

Chapter 18- Breathe Again

Pansy stood in the door frame of the chambers Harry had previously stayed in, while trying to hide the fear brewing within her stomach as she watched Theo and Ron plead with the mother Malfoy. It was amusing to say the least and so far, no one in the room had noticed her, so she continued to observe the comical scenario. Although her eyes kept drifting to a certain raven-haired wizard, who looked torn between laughing at the predicament and being utterly annoyed with the desperate appeals.

Ever since Thorfinn had mentioned that she and the Gryffindor might like each other, she couldn’t stop herself from thinking about it the entire way back to the bedroom. Question after question ran through her mind and she had no idea how to sort them all out. It troubled her that she couldn’t figure out if she was actually starting to fancy the Savior of the Wizarding World or if she was only thinking about it because it was brought to her attention. It wasn’t as if she didn’t like Harry, she enjoyed his company and was happy he was even willing to be her friend after everything they had been through. She didn’t want to destroy it all based off of one man’s suggestion because she knew that if she broached the topic when they had just recently become friends, the Golden Boy might think she was barmy and stop speaking to her. Not to mention that her Slytherin friends would criticize her ruthlessly.

However, she couldn’t help but wonder if she was simply lying to herself about how she really felt due to her desperate need to be wanted, and accepted, by her peers and by Draco Malfoy. She was in love with the blonde, or at least she thought she was, even though it was blatantly obvious to everyone that the Slytherin Prince would never feel the same. Nevertheless, Harry had made her feel happier than Draco ever had and now, thanks to Rowle, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t look at the raven-haired wizard the same way. With her arms crossed as she leaned on the frame of the doorway, she bit her bottom lip while she studied her male Gryffindor friend.

Harry had removed his glasses from his face and rubbed his eyes as Theo and Ron continued to beg Narcissa for various pieces of luxury items to take with them back to Hogwarts. He then threw his head back in frustration before feeling like someone was watching him and replaced his glasses before looking to the door out of instinct. Noticing he had seen her, Pansy uncrossed her arms and warmly smiled while weakly waving to him. Harry grinned from ear to ear before quickly walking over to her, taking her hand, and pulling her out into the hall.

“Thank Godric you showed up!” he chuckled, though never freeing his hand from the Slytherins’. “I was losing my mind in there. I thought Ron was intense when it came to haggling but damn, Theo is one savage negotiator.”

“He gets that from his father” she giggled softly. “Next to Blaise, he’s the best salesman of our group. Not as good as the Weasley twins…I mean…twin…” she frowned while releasing Harry’s grasp on her and fiddled with her fingers. “Anyway” she feebly smiled while glancing up, “a-are you still hungry? I think Keesy may still be in the kitchen…”

“Yeah!” he beamed while trying to ignore her small correction about the twins. Placing his hands in his pockets while pointing down the hall with his head, the pair began to make their way to the kitchen in an awkward silence. Once they made it to their destination, Harry flicked his wand and turned on the lights in the dark room. “I guess she went on break…”

“It’s only noon” Pansy stated as she looked around the large empty space.

“Maybe because we are supposed to be going back to Hogwarts, Mrs. Malfoy told her to not worry about lunch?”

“Possibly…” she shrugged while heading towards the charmed icebox and opening the door. “So,” she quickly breathed out, “what are you in the mood for?”

“Uhh, peanut butter and jelly works for me…” Harry claimed as he stood next to the Slytherin Princess and eyed the continents in the fridge.

“Oh, please!” she argued playfully. “We can do better than something so simple. Come on, tell me what you’re really in the mood for? Do you like Mexican food?”

“Wait,” he held up a hand with a small smile on his lips “you can cook?”

“Don’t act so surprised” she giggled while pulling out a few items from the cooler and hoped that whatever she decided to create, he would like. “I’ve been cooking for years. I started the summer after fourth year, when my parents began to argue over money and other things” she continued as she placed a skirt steak on the counter and summoned a few pots and pans along with other ingredients she would need, in order to make lunch for the both of them. “

Pansy began to oil and season the steak as she charmed a pot of rice to cook itself, while Harry took a seat on a stool across the counter from her.

“I never liked cooking” he admitted as he leaned forward on his arms and watched as she placed the steak on a sizzling pan before starting on the corn. “I guess I can blame the Dursley’s for that. They sort of took the fun out of it.”

“I’m sorry…” she frowned as she stopped stirring the corn and bean mixture in the bowl in front of her and softened her shoulders.

“Don’t be. I’m not.”

“Still…”

“So, why cooking?” he inquired as he tried to change the subject.

“I don’t know” she shrugged as she went back to her task at hand. “After my mother moved into a different bedroom and my father distracted himself with work, which meant he was rarely home anymore, I couldn’t concentrate on anything else, so I found comfort in Babkey, our house elf. He taught me how to cook after I became bored of only talking. I prefer baking more than anything, but I guess I feel I can be myself when doing it. It allows me to bring out my creative side and…” she smiled and lightly shook her head as she thought about how culinary made her feel, “I-I lose myself in it. It helps clear my mind- distract me from the rest of the world, all my problems…When I cook, I feel…free.”

“Sounds like you really love it.”

“I do…” she beamed while pausing for a moment.

“Maybe you can teach me one day” Harry suggested, causing Pansy to flick her eyes to him and nervously grin. “If it’s something your passionate about I’m sure I would enjoy learning from you.”

“Yeah…I-I’d like that. I mean I’d liked to-I mean-”

“Pansy…?” he cut in with a raised brow, but quickly shook away the idea that she was acting strange from his mind and instead focused on what he really wanted to say.

“Hmm?” she hummed while flipping the meat.

“I…I wanted to say thank you. You know, for everything you’ve done for me the last few days. I really appreciate you being there for me. I know it must not have been easy and you had plenty of other people to look out for…But I’m glad you chose to help me.”

“It’s no problem, Harry. I’m happy to help.”

As Harry lightly blushed and lowered his head as he smiled, Pansy observed him as he began to play with the tips of his fingers. His messy black hair hung loosely in his face as she watched his jaw clench and his Adam’s Apple bob up and down. It was almost as if he wanted to say something else but was too nervous to do so. Though as she continued to stare at the smooth skin on his neck and her eyes veered to the small amount of stubble growing on his chin, a sudden image of her leaving tender pecks along his jaw line flashed before her eyes, catching her completely off guard. The daydream came out of nowhere and caused an aching feeling to emerge in the pit of her stomach as she stared at him. But she kept on thinking about how his skin would feel against hers as images of him entangling his fingers through her hair while he whispered in her ear, persisted to plague her mind.

“Pansy?” he interrupted, pulling her from the fantasy as he eyed her worryingly. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine” she claimed while removing the cooked steak from the pan and setting it on the cutting board.

“Yeaaahhh, you’re not. I’ve had a girl as a friend for as long as I can remember. I know when something’s wrong and you’re afraid to tell me. Please tell me you’re not thinking of doing what Theo did the other day by trying to find a way to switch places with me?”

“What? What are you talking about? What exactly did Theo do?” she pressed while narrowing her brows.

“He-he didn’t tell you? Shite, I’m sorry, I thought you knew. I think it’s probably best if he tells you instead of me, but don’t worry, he’s fine. Ron, Neville, and I talked him out of it. He realized it was barmy after I convinced him to never do it again.”

“Is that why he and Weasley are suddenly so close? I thought it was a bit strange that those two of all people, could find a way to get along.”

“Sort of” he shrugged while pulling out his wand and summoning a pot of tea. “After we talked him down, we all agreed to be there for him if he ever needed someone to talk to…” Though as Harry proceeded to speak about how the Gryffindor clan decided to support one of her best friends, Pansy heard none of it. It was in that moment as she marveled at the site of Harry speaking, that she finally grasped the idea that she did indeed like him. It wasn’t because of what Thorfinn had told her or the fact that she already thought the The-Boy-Who-Lived was cute, she realized that she appreciated and respected Harry standing up and protecting her friend when she couldn’t.

There was also something about the fact that he went out of his way, that made her see him in a different light. He was charming and caring, smart and funny; she didn’t understand why it had taken her so long to notice just how much she wanted to be with him. Unfortunately, her fears of not having the feelings reciprocated, similar to her situation with the blonde Prince of Slytherin, rushed to the surface and she quickly removed the idea of being more than friends, from her mind. “Are you sure you’re alright?” he asked with a tilt of his head.

“I’m fine, Harry…I’ll talk to Theo later about what he did.”

“Pansy-”

“Thank you for looking out for him” she cut in as she stared down at the meat on the counter.

“Look, whatever is going on right now, I know it doesn’t have to do with Theo. What’s on your mind?”

“I-It’s nothing” she chuckled as she picked up the large chef knife, but for some reason didn’t cut the steak. “It’s-it’s just something Rowle mentioned earlier that had me thinking.”

“Mentioned? What did he say to you?” he questioned slightly upset.

“Nothing bad. I don’t think…It’s nothing. It’s-it’s stupid. Forget I said anything.”

“Pansy…?” he drawled while giving her a knowing look before standing up and walking around the counter in order to place himself beside to her. Gently taking the knife from her hand, he set it down on the counter, and turned her by the shoulders to face him. “What’s wrong?”

Biting her lower lip, the raven-haired witch gazed down towards the cutting board as she thought about what she wanted to say; if she wanted to say anything.

“I-I don’t want to ruin our friendship, Harry. You’re the best thing that’s happened to me in a long while. I don’t want to mess that up. I…I don’t want you to stop speaking to me.”

“What did Rowle say to you that would make you think I would ever stop being your friend?”

“You’re gonna laugh if I tell you. It-it’s nothing, don’t worry about it.” She laughed it off while waving a hand and tried to turn back to the counter, but Harry gently grabbed her shoulder to stop her.

“I told you before, Pansy. I would never laugh at you. Not unless it was something you could laugh at as well…Is-is it about him telling you to give me a chance and why you keep blushing every time I look at you? And why you keep spacing out?”

“What?” she questioned with wide eyes, as Harry chuckled lightly.

“I have an invisibility cloak, Pansy, and a promising track record of eavesdropping on things I shouldn’t. I’ve been lied to and kept in the dark by my Aunt and Uncle, by Dumbledore, even Snape, for a better part of my life. So, I had my reasons for doing it then. However,” he tilted his head to get a better look at her as she avoided his gaze, “I only tried listening to your conversation with Rowle because I care about you and I wanted to make sure he wasn’t up to something. The man may have helped us all come to terms with our friends being stuck in the past, but that doesn’t mean I fully trust the bloke.”

“So, you’re saying t-that you heard ev-everything?” she queried nervously as she finally met his gaze.

“I only heard the last part of it really. Where he told you that I might be someone worth fancying. And how he said that Draco won’t want to be with you when he returns…”

“Oh…I…it was just a suggestion that I have no intention on pursuing!” she quickly iterated.

“Bummer...I was hoping you might want to go to dinner in Hogsmeade with me over the weekend…as a date” he smirked, causing Pansy’s cheeks to flush and her jaw to drop. “Listen…I like you, Pansy. I realized I liked you the moment you decided to put someone else before yourself without even thinking about it beforehand. I mean, I wanted to get to know you first and see if maybe you could ever see me as more before asking you out-”

“But we just became friends…” she managed to finally utter.

“Yeah, it’s a little quick, but…why not give it a try? The war is over, we’re not enemies anymore, and…and life is way too short to not go for something you want. I’m tired of being told what I can and can’t do anymore and I’m tired of not being able to make my own choices…I’ve wanted to tell you that you’re beautiful, since the day you started stuttering in the Library” he claimed, causing her to glance up at him. “You’re smart, a lot smarter than anyone gives you credit for, and your kind. A bit clingy, but I’m okay with that; any guy would be lucky to date you. Hell, I would be lucky to date you…”

“What about our friendship?”

“It won’t be ruined-”

“What about Weas-I mean, Ginny?”

“What about her?” he queried while shrugging a shoulder. “We aren’t together anymore and haven’t been all year. I care for her, yes, but we just didn’t work out.”

“Well what about when she gets back?”

“Why are you using Ginny as an excuse to not say ‘yes’ to going out with me? You can say ‘no’, you know? It won’t change our friendship.”

“I’m not using her as an excuse!”

“Do you like me, Pansy?” he inquired tenaciously while searching her dark eyes.

“I-I guess…” she answered as her mind ran a thousand miles per second. “Yes…”

“Then go out with me on Saturday. If it doesn’t work out then it doesn’t work out, but at least we can say we tried. I won’t give up being friends with you if it doesn’t. And if it’ll make you feel more comfortable, we don’t have to tell anyone about us until you’re ready. I-I know you’re most likely afraid of what your Slytherin Housemates think and that you also have feelings for Draco…and I’m okay with that, well kind of okay with that,” he chuckled, “but I’m willing to give it a go if you are? I’m only asking that you give me a chance.” Pansy stared at Harry for a long moment as the timer for the rice beeped behind her and the pot it was boiling in, drained itself into a large mixing bowl. She couldn’t take her eyes off the Gryffindor before her while her chest rose and fell rapidly as she strongly thought about what he was asking. “Pansy?”

Quickly veering her gaze from his, she continued to muddle over not only what he was saying but what Thorfinn had said earlier. She began pondering over if going out with the Golden Boy was worth giving Draco up and more importantly, worth potentially losing Harry in the processes. She had seen plenty of muggle movies over the year and knew her life was nothing like them. The wizard standing in front of her might think their friendship could survive if being together failed, but she knew life was nothing like the fairy tale she wished it could be and there wasn’t always a happy ending.

But could she take the risk and hope Harry was right? Could she take a leap of faith knowing her own track record with men and the fact that she could most likely lose the one person she needed most in her life right now, the one that understood her better than anyone else ever has? Or worse, could she risk being shunned by her family if they ever found out? She would have no money and nowhere to go if her prejudice parents caught wind that she was dating a half-blood who was also best friends with the most famous of all ‘Mudbloods’. Not that she saw Hermione that way anymore, but it wouldn’t stop her mother and or father from disowning her.

However, her own situation was not the only issue at hand. Harry’s friends would have to either accept or deny him as well if they discovered what she was debating on agreeing to. Ron would lose his mind and Hermione, when she returned, might literally hex her into the past. Not to mention the rest of the Weasley family coming for her head or rejecting the Golden Boy. If she was going to do this, she needed to make absolute certain Harry really wanted to be with her.

“Pansy, if this is too much for you…I don’t want you to think I’m pressuring you or anything.”

“Are you sure?” she questioned while turning her focus back to the raven-haired wizard. “Are you sure you want to try this, with me, this soon? I mean, we just became friends. We hardly know each other.”

“You quite literally saw me naked in the bath the other day and didn’t bat an eye. We’ve also been going to school with each other for eight years. We know each other…”

“But we don’t. Not really. Would we have even become close if our friends weren’t trapped in time? Would you have ever even given me a second look if we didn’t have shared trauma? What if we go out and it’s a disaster? What if you realize you can find someone better than me? What if our friends and family don’t approve?”

“I think you’re thinking way too deep about this-”

“How can you be sure that I’m what you really want?”

Harry searched the Slytherin Princess’ face before licking his lip and taking a step forward; closing the gap between them. Slowly raising a hand, he cupped her cheek, and gently pulled her closer to him. Lowering his sight to her lips as he heard her sharply inhale, he quickly flicked his gaze back to hers, closed his eyes while tilting his head slightly, and leaned in; delicately connecting their lips together. He could hear her gasp softly as he pressed a little harder against her and felt a tingling in his abdomen, he had never felt with anyone else before. However, as much as he wanted to question the feelings running through his mind and continue the magical moment, he wished would last a lifetime, he had to unfortunately break the kiss to fully prove his point. That no matter what happens between them, they could still remain friends and to assure her he was serious about what he had said. Still cupping her cheek as he pulled his face away from hers, he looked deep into her eyes, that appeared to be longing for him, and affectionately smiled at her.

“I’m sure” he claimed while slowly removing his hand from her smooth jawline as she bit the corner of her bottom lip and warmly smiled up at him. “So, whadda say we try this delicious smelling food and then we can talk about where you would like me to take you on Saturday?”

“I…I never said ‘yes’…”

“You sort of did when you kissed me back. And…I’d liked to kiss you again…if you’d let me…?” he queried when he realized just how much he enjoyed their first kiss.

“O-okay…” she beamed in utter shock as Harry leaned in once more and coupled his lips fondly against hers, except this time, he allowed the amorous moment to last a little longer as he entangled his fingers through her long black hair and sensed relief when he felt her hands begin to press against his chest and cling to the front of his button down shirt.

Deepening the physical embrace, Harry turned the Slytherin Princess, so her lower back pressed up against the counter, as Pansy wrapped her arms around his neck. Seconds passed by like minutes as they entwined their bodies together before coming up for air and pressing their foreheads together while breathing heavily. Rubbing his thumb against her cheek as he held her thigh against his hip, Harry tenderly laid a kiss upon her forehead before reluctantly pulling away from her.

“So…about that date?”

“Yes…” she immediately answered with a broad smile plastered on her face.

“Yeah?” he grinned while rubbing his hand on the back of his neck.

“Yeah…”

“So, if this does work out…We can snog like that again?” he questioned while Pansy bit her bottom lip and smirked happily.

“Let’s just eat for now and see how Saturday goes.”

“Playing hard to get, I see” he claimed as he placed his hands in his pockets. “Very Slytherin of you. Okay…But I want you to know that after our dinner at Hogsmeade, regardless if it fails or not, I would very much like to snog you again” he stated as he walked back around the counter to take his seat and she unconsciously pressed her fingers against her lips, before turning towards the cutting board, and picking up the knife.

After cutting the steak and setting up two bowls, Pansy handed one of the colorful concoctions to Harry before grabbing two forks from a drawer.

“I hope you like it. It’s a steak burrito bowl. More filling than PB and J” she giggled while passing him the utensil across the counter.

“It’s looks great, Pansy! Thank you!” he gleamed up at her as she began to dig into her food while standing near the cutting board. “Do you not want to sit next to me?” he frowned slightly.

“Oh…Did you want me to? I-I thought we could better talk while facing each other…I can move if want…”

“No, it’s alright.” He waved a hand and stabbed at his bowl while smiling up at her. “I have a better view of your beauty from this angle anyway.” Pansy blushed as she slowly chewed but the moment was quickly interrupted as Theo and Ron came barreling into the kitchen, shoving one another as they laughed aloud.

“Oh, shite! There you two are!” Ron claimed when he saw both Pansy and Harry eyeing them. “You made food and didn’t invite us?” he stated as he rushed up to the pair and scooped up some of the corn mixture placed next to the raven-haired witch with his fingers. “Mmm, what is this?”

“It’s Mexican-What’s got you in such a good mood, Weasley?” she asked as she played with her food with the fork.

“You know what, Parkinson, I will happily tell you!” he grinned while taking a piece of meat from her bowl and popping it into his mouth “Thanks to Theo, Mrs. Malfoy not only allowed us to take the linen with us, BUT she allowed us to take the pillows too!” he admitted while high-fiving Theo across the counter, who had just taken a seat next to Harry.

“Nice!” Harry exclaimed before rolling his eyes at Pansy, causing her to silently snicker.

“What are you guys up to?” Theo questioned while leaning on the table with his arms. “Besides hiding out here cooking up an awesome dish. Did you make it, Pans?” he turned to Harry and nudged his arm with his elbow. “She makes the best dishes. I always told her she should make a career out of it. Muggles love watching that shite on their tellys. I saw one once over the summer, while vacationing with Pansy in France, that had some chef bloke named Gordon Ramsey. I like him. Definitely Slytherin material and one hundred percent my new idol, even though he’s a muggle.”

“You-you went with Pansy to-to France…?” Harry inquired sullenly. “Th-that’s a really romantic area…”

“Oh, we didn’t stay together” Theo replied rather quickly after seeing the fear hidden deep within the Saviors’ eyes. “In fact, as I recall, we not only stayed in separate rooms, but basically did our own thing the whole trip. We only met up a few times when she needed someone to help her pick out outfits in Paris. Not the most fun I’ve ever had” he mumbled so only Harry could hear in order to assure him that he and Pansy were simply good friends. “Anyway,” he clapped his hands against the counter and stood up, “we need to get going. Mrs. Malfoy wants us in the Library in fifteen minutes, ready to go. McGonagall is expecting us while all the other students are in class, so no one bothers us when we return. Said she’ll have lunch prepared for us and set to our common room as soon as she can, but…I guess you guys are already full…”

“We didn’t know!” Pansy argued.

“I’m not coming at you, Pans. I was just saying…”

“He’s right” Harry chimed in, in an effort to keep the peace. “We should be going. Listen Ron, Theo, why don’t you guys go on a head and we’ll clean up here before meeting up with you in the Library” he suggested, all the while hoping he could get a little more alone time with Pansy before being bombarded by everyone at school.

Although, Ron seemed to be oblivious to what was happening around him, Theo could tell something was up. As much as he hated knowing Pansy would never choose him, he couldn’t help but feel happy for his friend that someone actually worthy of her affection was paying attention to her. She deserved better than Draco and himself and trusted that Harry would never do anything to purposely hurt her. She may never see Theo as more than a friend and in that moment, Theo finally decided to let her go in order for them both to be happy. The last thing he ever wanted to do was hold Pansy back and if he loved her like he thought he did, it was time he step aside and allow Harry to be the man she actually needed.

“Can I take this?” Ron asked while pointing to Pansy’s bowl and pulling Theo from his drifting thoughts.

Slumping her shoulders, the Slytherin Princess handed over her food to the redhead, who cheered happily, before bringing out her wand in order to charm everything clean. However, when she caught the Golden Boys’ eye as he covertly shook his head ‘no’, she stopped what she was doing and set her wand on the counter. The pair waited until their friends left, after Theo had to practically drag Ron from the room and began to put the kitchen back in order. Once they finished, they began to head out the door, when Harry slipped his hand into Pansys’ and guided her towards the Library. Although, on the way back, the Gryffindor stopped walking and sighed heavily, causing the raven-haired witch to turn in curiosity. However, as she whirled around to ask him what was wrong, she found herself embraced in his arms as he leaned in and kissed her. He pulled back after a couple of seconds to see her shocked expression and stepped away immediately.

“I-I’m sorry!” he expressed in embarrassment.

“Why are you sorry?”

“Well I mean, that was a little forward of me…”

“Harry,” she giggled softly, “you’re a Gryffindor and you’ve quite literally been through hell. If you weren’t so forward, I would probably be concerned.”

“True. I just…I’ve never done this before. Been so impertinent with my feelings. Not with Cho or with Ginny…I just…I really like you, Pansy, and I’ve wanted to kiss you since you prepared my bath…with me still in it.”

“So, why didn’t you kiss me then?” she inquired in curiosity. Although, she knew that if he had, the moment would have turned into more and neither of them that day were ready to further their relationship.

“Well…mainly because I’ve been under duress, but also because I didn’t know how you felt about me. Look, I know we decided only moments ago to try this out and we haven’t actually gone on a date yet…I just…”

“What?” she questioned with a raised brow, wondering where he was going with his small speech as she rubbed her arm anxiously.

“I-I really want this to work. I don’t want to scare you off before we’ve even had a chance to see if we could be together. I want to get to know the real you more and I can’t do that if I keep wanting to act on the urge to pin you against a wall right now.”

“Harry…I’m a Slytherin” she snickered lightly. “It would take a lot more than you spontaneously and boldly, I might add, snogging me, to scare me off. I like a guy who can take charge every now and again and I fancy a guy who is brave enough to admit what he wants. If you wanna kiss me then just kiss me. If you want to pin me against a wall, which is super-hot by the way, then do so. Just make sure no one else sees. I’m not ready yet to tell anyone what we’re doing, whatever it is we’re doing. You understand, right?”

“I told you, we don’t have to tell anyone until you’re ready. I don’t mind being your dirty little secret…Okay that…sounded really bad” he chuckled while holding up a finger as the pair laughed quietly in the hall, completely unaware that Neville not only could see them, but had heard everything.

“So, are you going to snog me now or are you trying to play hard to get this time?” she asked with a coy smile.

“I’m not good at playing hard to get, so I think I’m going to kiss you now” he grinned while stepping closer to her as she bit her bottom lip and giggled. “But only for a moment because I have feeling Ron might think you’ve hexed me and come looking for me soon.”

“Deal…” she beamed before wrapping her arms around the Gryffindors’ neck and allowing him to connect their lips together.

Once the couple broke apart and Harry brushed her hair away from her face, Neville decided now was a good time to call out to them, so they had time to break apart and not seem suspicious. The last thing he wanted was to invade their privacy and he was happy for them, he was, but Harry was right, and he knew Ron or even Theo, would come searching for the pair if he didn’t bring them to the Library soon.

“Harry!” he called out after backing up so it would appear that he had just rounding the corner, giving the couple a quick chance to separate before he saw them again. “Oh, there you are! Ron is going ballistic thinking Parkinson poisoned your dish or something. Then again, he was hardcore bragging about how good her food was. I guess she didn’t poison her own lunch” he chortled.

“I would never poison anyone, Longbottom. It’s tacky and way too obvious. Woman always use poison. It’s child’s play. If I wanted to murder someone it would be a swift slash to their throat while they’re sleeping so I can watch them slowly bleed out as they grip their trachea in desperation and confusion.” Both Harry and Neville looked at the witch with a mixture of shock and worry embedded on their faces as she confidently crossed her arms and smirked. “You are both so gullible” she chuckled while shaking her head and looking back and forth between the boys. “You honestly believe that if I was going to ever kill someone, I would tell either of you how I would do it…? Amateurs!”

“Okay then…” Neville breathed out while clicking his tongue against his cheek. “We should probably get going before Ron thinks Parkinson has murdered both of us” he chortled slightly.

“Right behind you, mate” Harry snorted while folding in his lips and eyeing Pansy strangely.

“Don’t look at me like that” she demanded while holding up a finger. “If I wanted to kill you, you’d be dead already.”

“Good to know” he ticked while waving a hand for her to go ahead of him.

The trio trekked down the hall as both Pansy and Harry walked on either side of Neville and entered the Library to be greeted by everyone, including Elizabeth Granger, who had somehow managed to pull herself out of bed in order to see the children off. Luna rushed over to Pansy, grabbed her by the hand, and dragged her away with a large smile plastered on her face. The Slytherin witched turned back to look at Harry, who surreptitiously winked at her before heading off to meet up with Ron and Theo, and blushed as she allowed Luna to haul her over to a table in order to chat.

July 5th, 1863

Draco stood next to the wigwam with his arms crossed as he watched Tala and Hermione talk to one another. It had been so long since he had seen a genuine smile cross his witch’s lips and it made him feel happier than he had felt in a long time. Whether or not it was his doing or if it was Talas’, or even if it was Hermione herself, he respected the strength and courage it took for the bookworm to get out of bed and face the things she feared most head on. Though, he would have felt more comfortable with her waiting for him instead of causing him to panic when he couldn’t find her in her tent. Not that he shouldn’t have expected it to happen eventually. Hermione was an independent woman who needed to do things at her own pace, in her own time. He couldn’t control her actions even if he used the Imperious Curse on her…not that he would or even wanted to. He loved who she was and couldn’t imagine her changing for anything.

“Keep watchin her like that and you might have to take a picture to savior the memory” Caleb muttered as he stepped up next to Draco with a smile on his face.

“Is that where that saying came from?” the blonde queried with a raised brow.

“What sayin are you referring to?”

“Nothing…What are you doing down here? Shouldn’t you be getting ready to go hunting with everyone?”

“I had to pick up rope and arrows from Chavatangakwunua. Best arrow maker in town…! Well the village now, I presume” Caleb exclaimed cheerfully while patting the bag on his shoulder.

“I’m sorry…what?” Draco questioned in confusion as he looked to the brunette and chortled.

“He is the best arrow maker in the village…?” the Confederate repeated in puzzlement.

“No, I heard that. What I don’t think I heard correctly, was his name?”

“Oh, Chavatangakwunua!”

“Wow…now that’s a name” the Slytherin claimed with a grin. “I thought Hermione’s name was hard at one point, but man does that take the cake” he chuckled as he turned back to watch the two women.

“Why would it…‘take the cake’ as you say?”

“It’s just an expression, meaning it’s a shocking surprise. That name tops one I previously thought was difficult to pronounce.”

“Ahh…But do you not speak Latin and other languages when preforming spells? Should it not be easy for you to pronounce harder names?”

“We do. However, we had to a lot of practice in order to say them, let alone preform them. I guess it’s sort of like how you learned how to say Chava-whatever his name is, “he chortled, “and other Native American names.”

“I can agree on that…So, how is Ms. Hermione today? I see she has finally emerged from her chambers. I saw her step out not long ago lookin very befuddled. Tala saw as well and decided to approach her to see if she needed anything. I assumed she was lookin for you.”

“She came out on her own?”

“She did. I suppose something you had said had helped her enough to want to break through her terrors” Caleb shrugged. “But whatever you said, I am happy it seemed to help. I can tell you care very much for her.”

“I do…actually…” Draco began as he affectionately glanced to Hermione. “Probably more than she will ever know.”

“Why do you say that? Why do you not tell her?” Caleb asked while nudging the blonde gently with his elbow. “When I knew about Tala, I told her straight away. Though Ohiyesa was not pleased. He was the man who Tala’s father had picked to marry his daughter before departin this world. He still holds a grudge against me.”

“I don’t believe I have met him yet. But to answer your question, it’s because she just went through a trauma and…I don’t know…” he trailed off as he looked down.

“You fear she might not feel the same?”

“No…yes…I don’t know. It’s-it’s complicated. It’s also way too soon to even think about saying anything. If I even can say anything. She’s been through a lot and I don’t want to add the pressure of my feelings on top of everything. She’s been through enough and she doesn’t need to know that her boyfriend of-of a few days, days which she was barely even awake for, might have stronger feelings for her then she thinks.”

“Well…” Caleb sighed as he adjusted the rope on his other shoulder and looked to Draco with a sympathetic smile, “perhaps you should allow Hermione to decide what she believes is best for her. She appears to be a strong woman, who can handle a lot more than you believe” he stated as he patted the blonde on the back. “And who knows, perhaps your admittance just might be the thing that ‘takes the cake’ as you say. Do not underestimate the power of love” he winked before walking off towards the lake.

“I never said anything about…!” Draco shouted with a raised hand before quickly stopping himself as he glanced around at everyone looking at him in surprise, before lowering his voice and turning back to face Hermione. “Love…”

“Draco!” Tala called out when she saw him standing next to the wigwam, causing Draco to shake away his thought and smile as she waved him over. Sucking in a deep breath and letting it out slowly, Draco produced a warm smile. Headed over to the two women and took a seat before Tala handed him a few materials so he could start working on a basket of his own.

XX

“Can I talk to you for a minute?” Blaise questioned in an angry whisper as he stormed up to Ginny still readying her horse.

“About what, Blaise?” Ginny bit out while throwing her head back in annoyance.

“Just…” he began before gently grabbing her bicep and guiding her into the woods where no one else could hear them.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” she exclaimed in anger after stopping in her tracks and ripping her arm from the Italians’ grasp.

“So many things…Too many to count” he mumbled.

“Seriously, Blaise! First you command me to stay put, then you go and-and tattle on me, to Draco of all people, and now you’re forcefully dragging me into the woods demanding that I speak to you! Is this how it’s going to be going forward? You trying to tell me what to do all the time? Because I’m going to stop you right there! I did not agree to give you a chance so you could boss me around like a bloody tyrant! I-”

“Red…”

“My damn name is Ginny!” she shouted while stomping her foot.

Blaise folded in his lips as she continued to yell at him as he softened his shoulders and sullenly stared unseeingly at the ground in front of him. He allowed her to release her pent-up feelings caused by not only the fact that they were traveling through time like some science fiction novel, but because he still hadn’t explained the real issue with Hermione. However, he didn’t bring her out into the woods so she could vent and berate him or to try and control her. He only wanted to explain why he was acting the way he was but felt he didn’t have much time to do so. Though he had to admit, he should have thought about the way he behaved before trying to convince the fiery redhead to not do something.

“Ginny...”

“No! No, you know what? You don’t get to tell me what I can and can’t do! We have not been together long enough for you to think you have any sort of control over me! I don’t need someone breathing down my neck! I’m not some fragile crystal vase that’s going to break just because Mione won’t talk to me! If you think for one second that-”

“I’m scared…” he admitted; cutting her off mid-sentence as he slowly raised his eyes to her.

“What?” she breathed out with narrowed brows of confusion.

“I’m…scared.”

“No, I heard that…! Why? Of what?” she questioned in bewilderment.

“Of you…”

“I beg your pardon…? How the bloody hell do I scare you?”

“Ginny, you’re…ambitious…” he began apprehensively as she pursed her chin forward. “You’re bullheaded and stubborn, forward a-and at times insufferable.”

“Do you have a point, or did you only bring me out here to insult me?” she inquired while furiously crossing her arms.

“They aren’t insults, Ginny…They’re amazing traits that I am terrified of.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I’m talking about the fact that you have no sense of fear. You do things before you think, and I am scared it will…you will do something that ends up getting you hurt.”

“It’s just hunting, Blaise. And in case you haven’t noticed, I’m a witch who is proficient in spell casting and can hold my own.”

“See, that’s the stubbornness I’m talking about. Did you not see what happened with Hermione? The woman who quite literally is the bravest person we all know. Or Draco, who is not only better than you at spells and Defense Against the Dark Arts, faced Voldemort and somehow managed to save himself and his family, was tortured by muggles. Anything can happen whether you have magic on your side or not, which you don’t seem to get. Look, I understand that you have a house full of brothers and have taken care of yourself for a long time, but I care too much about you to constantly worry about whether you’re going to make a decision that causes you harm or gets you killed.”

“I’m fine!”

“Are you?” he tilted his head while placing his hands in his pockets. “Because I know from experience, that acting on things when you’re an emotional mess is cause for a disaster. Did you even think about this before just agreeing to it? Do you know the dangers and the risks that come with hunting?”

“If you don’t trust me then come with me!” she exclaimed while throwing her hands in the air.

“Have you seen me? I’m not exactly hunting material! The only animals I’m not scared of are those that sleep in barns and chicken coops! But you…you’re not scared of anything. Merlin, you’re the one who had to ask me out on that pirate ship! And I trust you! It’s everything else in this fucked up world that I don’t trust.”

“Are you joking?” she questioned as she softened her shoulders and gazed at the Italian warmheartedly. “Blaise, I’m terrified of a lot of things. I was scared when all that bullshite happened with Caesar and Draco had to save me, I was frightened when the saber almost attacked us, and when Draco fought that caveman to protect Hermione. I was afraid when I thought I lost you both in Pompeii and of everything that happened in Salem, and…I was scared shitless…to ask you to be my boyfriend. Just because I don’t always show it, doesn’t mean I’m not terrified of things, Blaise. But I’m trying not to be. I’m trying to be the person I once was, who had the strength to do what no one else would.”

“Hunting is dangerous, Ginny…”

“I know that. But for the first time in my life this is something I’m actually not scared to want to do. Yes, I’m a girl, who is stubborn and bullheaded, but that is what has gotten me through life and helped me survive basically everything and anything thrown at me. It won’t change, but,” she stepped forward and cupped her hands delicately on either side of Blaise’s face, “if you honestly feel that you’ll be worried about me while I’m on this trip, then come with me. You don’t have to actually hunt or anything, just be there…with me.”

“Ginny, I’m not-”

“Someone who cares deeply for me?” she interrupted with a soft smile. “Someone who cares enough to try and get Draco Malfoy to talk me out of doing something because he’s concerned about my safety. Someone who could spend three nights with me, alone, without Hermione or Draco right next door.”

“This trip is three nights?” he expressed in complete shock.

“You’re missing the point here, Blaise.”

“And what point is that exactly?” he questioned while backing up and crossing his arms in anger. “That you weren’t planning on telling me that you would be gone for three fucking nights or that you weren’t going to tell me, Hermione, and Draco and just let us wonder and worry about where you were? Potentially endangering the three of us because you know damn well, we would search the entire mountain for you!”

“No…I was hoping you would come with me…”

“Why the hell would I go with you when I’m not a hunter, Ginny?”

“So, we can be alone for once!” she shouted while throwing her hand in the air. “Godric, do I really have to spell it out to you!” Blaise stared at Ginny for a long moment as the wheels in his mind started to turn in understanding while she grumbled and rotated away from him.

“Are you serious?” he demanded as he walked up to the redhead and turned her back to him. “If you think for one second that you can bribe me to join your little…slumber party…with sexual favors, then you would be absolutely…in the right…” he claimed as a smile began to play at his lips, causing Ginny to bite her lip, before wrapping her arms around his neck, and kissing him deeply. However, the moment didn’t last long as Blaise pulled back slightly and tilted his head while looking into his witchs’ eyes. “What about the amulet? What if it goes off and we aren’t anywhere near the square?”

“It won’t go off. Hermione hasn’t exactly learned to be vulnerable yet. You said it yourself; she needs time to mentally heal after her ordeal.”

“Ginny…There’s-there’s something you need to know about Hermione and Draco’s situation…”

“They didn’t break up, did they?” she questioned with distress dripping from her voice. “Oh Merlin, please tell me they didn’t break up!”

“What? Have you gone mental? You honestly believe anything can break that power couple up?” he chuckled slightly. “No, they didn’t break up, at least not to my knowledge.”

Blaise rubbed his hand over her head as he explained what he had talked about with Draco not long ago, while Ginny listened intently before taking a seat on the ground and stared unseeingly before her.

“So…you’re saying it…it’s not me?” she queried as she tried to work out everything the dark-haired wizard had said. “She’s not scared of me because I couldn’t get to her in time?”

“No, darlin…” he replied while kneeling down to her level. “Her fear has nothing to do with either of us.” Ginny’s lip quivered while her eyes began to water as she looked up at her boyfriend in relief. Biting her bottom lip, she briefly smiled before releasing a soft sigh and glancing to the ground. “I’ll tell you what” he continued with a tilt of his head, “we can go on this trip…if you, and you alone, can convince Draco that it’s not only okay, but that the amulet won’t go off without us-”

“Convince Draco?” she argued as she met his gaze with furrowed brows. “Why the bloody hell do I have to convince Draco when he not only agreed to allow me to go, but basically acted like he didn’t give a damn about what I did?”

“He only agreed to allow you to go hunting because you didn’t tell him it was for three nights, Gin. With everything we’re going through right now, the mess Hermione’s going through, and the amulet…he’s going to quite literally lose his shite. He’s gonna go ballistic.”

“I was hoping he wouldn’t find out…” she claimed while crinkling her nose.

“You can’t be serious” he chortled. “We’re all in this together. He would discover you weren’t coming back probably as soon as you headed out, and his reaction might be much worse if you would have left for longer than a few hours like he believes. You’ve seen him when he’s furious. Do you truly want to be on the receiving end of his anger?”

“Yeah okay…” she giggled softly. “I should have told him…”

“Look, love…I may be the wind beneath the gits big arrogant wings” he chuckled as he reached out and lifted her chin with his fingers “but there’s no way I can convince him to let this happen. Not when Hermione is still refusing to get out of bed. If you want alone time, you’re going to have to be the one to persuade him. He’s got a soft spot for you, you’re like a little sister to him…I know because of how he treats you. Plus, he’s always wanted a sister.”

“But he has Pansy…”

“Pansy is…was more of a fling than a sibling relationship. My point is, Gin, he has protected both me and you numerous times…He’s not going to be happy you lied to him.”

“I didn’t lie, I just…didn’t tell the full truth” she shrugged with a half-smile. “He’s gonna yell, isn’t he?”

“Oh, yeah! Big time! So, we might as well get it done and over with now. At least if we speak to him before we leave, maybe he won’t be as mad.”

“He can’t kill both of us right…” she giggled. “Can he?” she questioned with worry dripping from her voice.

“Do you remember the arena…in Pompeii?”

“Fuck!”

“Listen, don’t let your pride destroy the relationships you have, Gin. Draco may be a hard arse and even the Devil might be terrified of him, but…he loves you like family. He might not ever say it because that’s not who he is, but he’ll go easy on you, I’m sure…And it’s possible that if you play your cards right, you’ll be able to talk to Hermione after he’s done reaming you out. Even if she doesn’t respond, I think at least telling her how you feel will help both of you. Although, we do need to tell Draco first, he deserves to know.”

“You’re right. But if he really does see me as a little sister, then he’ll only just slightly yell, right? No one can stay mad at me for very long. You should see how nice my brothers are to me when I start crying” she winked, completely unaware of how her plan was about to backfire.

“Good luck with that. Draco is not someone who falls for the puppy dog eyes.”

“We’ll see…” she claimed proudly before leaning in and pecking the Italian on his lips.

XX

“WHAT?” Draco shouted as he glared at Ginny flinching at his sonorous voice, before grabbing her by the wrist and pulling her away from prying ears, and from the many stares he was receiving. Dragging her behind a rather large wigwam, the blonde Prince released his grip and angrily scowled at the witch standing before him just as Blaise stopped short behind the redhead. “When the fuck were you planning on telling me that your ridiculous hunting trip was going to be three fucking nights long, Ginny? Right before you left? In four bloody days? Or wait, were you going to send an Owl to let me know that you chose to completely disrespect me AND Hermione by gallivanting around the woods with men you don’t even bloody know!”

“I wasn’t honestly planning on telling you at all” she alleged through her failing voice. However, she realized convincing the Slytherin would be a lot harder than she thought and found herself cowering like a child. Although, it wasn’t like she hadn’t seen him furious before, however, witnessing his rage directed straight at her rather than towards another person, where she was safe, made her feel incredibly small.

“You weren’t-” he began before halting his words as an indescribable fury engulfed him. “What about the damn amulet, Ginny? What about Hermione? Are you that bloody selfish that you’re willing to risk leaving your best friend behind or fucking causing all of us to worry? What about risking being left behind because the amulet decided to jump us and you’re off doing Merlin fucking knows what, Merlin fucking knows where? Are you mental? Have you lost your damn mind?”

“Mione doesn’t need me or even want me! And truthfully, I no longer give a bloody damn! And that stupid amulet won’t jump us because she will never understand what it means to be vulnerable!”

“Are you five?” he questioned while crossing his arms in a threatening stance. “Cause you’re sure acting like you’re a fucking toddler. If you haven’t already noticed, Hermione has left the tent and is starting to socialize again! Maybe if you would think about anyone but your fucking self you would see that she needs you! She only pushed you away because she thought it was better to keep you at arm’s length than to bring you down with her! Salazar, she may not be the friend you want her to be right now, but at least she’s willing to still try and protect your feelings and you don’t seem to give two shites! You’re willing to give up on her after years of friendship, and for what? A boy? Because you can’t handle everything not going your way? What, Ginny? Why the hell do you need to lie to me and abandon Hermione?” he contended as a tear slipped from the redheads’ lashes.

“I didn’t lie…” she claimed weakly.

“Well you sure as fuck didn’t tell me the truth! And don’t you dare start with the waterworks or give me pathetic puppy dog eyes! That shite will never work on me! I’m not one of your brothers and I sure as hell am not your father! I’m your damn friend who has risked my life more than once protecting everyone in this group and I’m not about to let you jeopardize your life or endanger yourself if that fucking amulet goes off and you’re not around!”

“Told you...” Blaise whispered in her ear as he leaned forward.

“And what the hell were you thinking?” the blonde quarreled as he looked to the dark-haired wizard in irritation. “You’re okay with this? Just a moment ago you were completely against her going for a few hours and now you want to go with her for three fucking nights!” he spat venomously. “Are you both that sick of us that you’re willing to take the chance of being stuck in this era?”

“That’s not why I want to go” Ginny stated sullenly before Blaise had a chance to answer. “Every reason I told you earlier is true, but I’m tired of feeling depressed and scared all the damn time. My decision to do this is not about you, or Mione, or even Blaise. I want to do this for myself and I don’t need your permission to do so!”

“You’re right” Draco declared as he lowered his voice and uncrossed his arms in order to place his hands in his pockets, “you don’t need anyone’s permission. If you want to do this and risk everything, including being stuck in 1863, where we all know Blaise will be in danger regardless if the North finds him or the South does, then be my guest. But his life is now solely in your hands” he claimed while turning to walk away.

“That’s not fair!” she argued while taking a step forward.

“LIFE ISN’T FAIR!” he screamed as he turned back, causing both Ginny and Blaise to recoil and go silent in shock. “If it was then we wouldn’t be in this fucking mess! The war never would have happened and none of us would have to struggle just to stay fucking alive! This isn’t bloody Hogwarts, Ginny! We are in dangerous times and we can’t escape it until we fucking change something! So, instead of going off with people you don’t even know, how about you think for once and figure out what it is the amulet wants you to fix about yourself before we get to your trial! If you even bloody make it there!”

“Draco, I…I need to do this…” she replied as her jaw quivered and a single tear slipped down her cheek.

Ginny originally wanted to use her sad eyes method to convince the Prince she was capable of protecting herself, like she had countless times before with her brothers and her father, in order to get what she wanted. However, when Draco didn’t let up and refused to give into to her tactics, she realized the remorse and sadness she was feeling was genuine and could no longer pretend with the Slytherin who sacrificed a lot to defend her.

“Why? Why the hell do you need to leave for four days?”

“I-I can’t explain it. It’s just a feeling and…I am so sorry for not telling you earlier, but I…I can’t take being here right now. I know the amulet won’t go off anytime soon because I know Hermione. She’s going to need time to cope with everything. I know you care about her and yes, you’re making progress but…she needs more than a few days to feel like herself again. And I am not the one she needs right now…it’s you. Whether her magic connected to yours or not, you’re the only one who has the capability to help her…not me. If you care about me like Blaise has said, then you’ll trust me enough to allow me to go hunting. Like I’m trusting you with my best friend…my sister…”

Draco stared at Ginny for a long while to see if she was being sincere with her words as he inhaled a deep breath and licked his lips. He was still furious with the redhead for trying to go behind his back, however, he was fully aware of how much they all needed a break from everything. He did care for the witch like she was a sister, which only made his choices about her safety that much harder.

He would never forgive himself if she was left behind or something bad happened to her, nor would Hermione ever forgive him if he allowed her to go. But Ginny was smart and fully capable of protecting herself, his only issue was the fact that he indeed needed to learn to trust her more. Except after the stunt she had just pulled and the fact that she placed him in a horrible position, made him weary of relying on her word. And knowing Ginny, regardless if he approved of her excursion or not, she would find a way to leave. He had to think of a way to at least know she’d be alright and there was only one way he knew would work.

Searching her pleading eyes as he ran his hand through his hair, Draco heavily sighed as he briefly glanced away before looking back to the Gryffindor. While he internally fought with himself, Blaise took Ginny’s hand and squeezed it tightly in support. He knew facing the blonde Prince would not be easy, but it was something he figured his girlfriend had to do on her own in order to know how much her presence meant to all of them.

“You will send me a Patronus” Draco began directly while watching the pair before him, “every four hours so that I know you’re alright. Do you understand me? No excuses.”

“Y-you’re allowing me to go?” she inquired completely stunned.

“As long as Blaise goes with you, he doesn’t get eaten by a bear, and you send me your Patronus. I don’t care if you have to set an alarm on your wand to wake you up every four hours-”

“Six!” she cut in while crossing her arms in determination.

“Four…” he retorted while also crossing his arms adamantly.

“Five!”

“Four, Ginny! Be grateful I’m not making it two! Four hours and you will do it, or I will come looking for you. And trust me when I say this, Red, you do not want me to come looking for you…”

Ginny produced a wide smile before leaping into Draco’s unsuspecting arms, throwing him off, as she hugged him tightly. As the blonde looked up to a smirking Blaise, he scowled at him while hugging the witch in return, before releasing her, and returning his attention back to the red-headed Weasley.

“Thank you…” she smiled warmly.

“Don’t thank me yet. You will be the one to tell Hermione. And be grateful she’s not a hundred percent herself right now because if you thought I was bad…”

“I know, I know…She’d most likely seal me in the tent until the next jump.”

“You’re lucky I don’t seal you in the tent!”

“I promise, I’ll be okay…”

“You can’t promise that, Red, you know that. However, I am trusting that you will do your best to stay safe. But if that amulet shows any signs of glowing or the next clue is revealed, I want both of you back here as soon as possible. I don’t care how you do it, you will be in that square or so help me. Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes…”

“Good…Now let’s go tell Hermione before Tala teaches her how to make a Bow and Arrow that she can use to shoot me when she finds out I allowed this to happen.”

“Draco, I…” Ginny expressed as she reached out and stopped him from turning around. “I-I really am sorry for not telling you.”

“I know you are…Listen, I know I’m not your family, Red, but right now we are the only family you have. You’re like a little sister to me and I will do whatever it takes to keep you safe. Don’t make me regret letting you do this.”

“Are you’re saying what I think you’re saying? Because I know how hard it is for you-” she giggled as he held up a hand to stop her.

“Shut it now or I will change my mind and seal you in that tent. It’s not too late.”

A small smile fought against the anger deep within the Slytherins’ soul and he couldn’t help himself as he rolled his eyes and the redhead continued to giggle into her hand. Though as Blaise nodded his head and began to guide Ginny passed the blonde and towards where they had last seen Hermione, the Gryffindor witch turned around and began to walk backwards as a warm smile creased her lips.

“I love you too, Blondie” she called out before jumping up and down and dragging Blaise as quickly as she could through the camp. However, Draco stood planted in place as he watched the happy couple and grinned ever so softly while he placed his hands in his pockets.

“I love you too, Red…” he claimed in a low voice. “I love you too.”

XX

Hermione stood on the edge of a cliff as she gazed out at the vast beauty in front of her. She hugged herself as she watched the birds fly through the bright blue sky and thought strongly about everything she had been through. The river flowed effortlessly below her as the mountains surrounding the valley stood strong and tall while littered with thousands upon thousands of different animals and species of trees. She watched as the flock of birds found a home within the many leaves before lifting off again to fly freely through the clouds. It had been a long time since she had seen such beauty and took her time studying every aspect of the mountain range nature had procured.

However, Hermione couldn’t understand how something so marvelous couldn’t stop the heartache she felt within. She missed her friends and family back home and was so tired of bad things constantly occurring. She wished the pain would just stop and all she had to really do was take one step forward and it would all be over. Although, every time she thought about cutting her life short, Draco, Ginny, and Blaises’ gentle smiles filled her mind. The hope they shared and the happiness they provided, brought a tear to her eye when she thought about leaving them behind. Never in her wildest dreams did she ever believe she would befriend the two Slytherins, let alone fall hard for the one that used to be her worst enemy, but something about the two boys, caused her idea about life to drastically change.

It wasn’t just Draco and Blaise however, that stopped her from taking that single step, it was happy memories of Harry and Ron, as well Fred’s voice telling her to not give up; that her story had just begun, and she had so much more to see. But knowing her group still had three more trials to go through on top of what she and Draco had already survived, she didn’t know how much more strength she had left in her. After her ordeal in Gettysburg, she felt weaker than she ever had before, and the weight pressed so hard against her she felt ready to snap at any moment. All she wanted was a sign that things would eventually get better, but so far, the Universe kept screwing her over. Was happiness simply too far away for her to grasp anymore? And was it really fair to the ones who loved her to suffer through her depression as well?

As Hermione continued to hug herself and gaze out to the great wide-open canyon, something fluttered in front of her face and came to rest at her feet. Looking up while wiping away the tears staining her cheeks, she spotted a large bald bird with a fish in its mouth, soaring overhead, and smiled for a brief moment before glancing at the ground. Bending down, the brunette witch picked up the rather large feather and studied it while turning it slowly in her fingers.

“The Great American Bald Eagle…” a feminine voice claimed proudly, causing the bookworm to stand up and turn around to see Tala walking toward her. However, the chief was looking to the sky with a hand above her eyes to block out the sun before lowering her gaze and stopped directly next to the witch. “Often known to us Natives as the Sea Eagle and the holder of all the wisdom of the world” she claimed while looking out to the valley.

“I guess Draco didn’t come back after I left?” Hermione replied in a low voice.

“He did. However, he seemed to need his space. Though your other friends are looking for you. I asked that they give me a moment before allowing them to speak to you. However, I gather through all the yelling that Draco was not successful with convincing Ginny and Blaise and they wish to tell you what it is they are doing.”

“Do you know why he was mad at them?”

“I did not hear the why, but it is none of my concern unless he requires my presence…”

“Oh…”

“Hermione, I want you to know that I requested that Draco not take your memories for a reason” Tala stated as she proceeded to keep her attention on the vast mountain range. “A lost soul cannot find its way back home without recalling the past. You may be stuck in this time, but that does not mean you should stay here.”

“I-I don’t understand…”

“Think of yesterday as a closing door, Hermione. You no longer live there. You are allowing what happened to you here…follow you” she claimed as she finally turned her focus to the Gryffindor Princess. “You should not carry that burden of pain with you once you return home, but you should also remember in order to move on. Forgive, but do not forget. The world can be a cold and empty place, though the fire in you can light the way. You just need something to reignite the flame. I believe Draco is your spark, if you allow him to be.”

“I know he’s doing his best, but…” Hermione trailed off and she glanced down at the feather in her hands.

“You are not a person who asks for assistance” Tala finished for her as Hermione nodded her head and her eyes began to water. “Perhaps the task Draco has told me the amulet has given you, is not what you may believe. Instead of simply learning the value of being vulnerable, which I feel you already have, perhaps you also need to learn to ask for help…”

“I-I don’t know how…”

“Well, you will not find the answers you seek standing here. You must find the courage within yourself. However, just because you cannot see it or touch it, does not mean it is not there. The greatest things you will ever know, Hermione…are invisible. But it is up to you to decide if you are willing to search for it. There is no shame in asking and Draco seems to care deeply for you. Accept his aid, my dear. I guarantee you’ll be a better woman for it.” Grasping the witchs’ forearm gently, Tala warmly smiled and turned as if she was about to leave but halted her movements as she stared at the feather in the bookworms’ hand. “Do you know the symbol of an Eagle feather? What it represents to myself and to my people?”

“No…” she replied while shrugging her shoulders. “Not really. Just the fun fact that Bald Eagles have a wingspan of eight feet” she chuckled softly.

“The Eagle is the strongest and bravest of all birds. When a feather is given to another it is worn with pride, and dignity, and treated with the upmost respect. But when an Eagle gives you one of its own feathers, it is considered the highest of honor. If you were out here looking for a sign that things will get better for you, I am sure this is it. You should keep it. It is a symbol of the Great Spirit and shows strength and power. Though the White Man believes it to be a badge of freedom, which I do suppose they are not wrong. But if a majestic bird such as that one, believes you are strong enough…shouldn’t you? Say goodbye to where you’ve been, dear…and tell your heart to beat again.”

Tenderly smiling once more, Tala bowed her head and walked off as Hermione stared at the feather in wonder. Wiping away the stray tear that had slipped from her lashes, she sniffled before looking up at the horizon and bit her bottom lip as a smile of her own began to splay across her face. In that moment, Hermione Granger found the hope she had so desperately needed as she held the feather close to her heart, before turning away from the mountains and began traveling back to camp.


	19. The Devil of Hope

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **AN: Posting early because I'm going out and won't be home to do so later. Thank you all so much for your wonderful reviews! Please keep them coming, they brighten my day so much! I hope everyone had a wonderful Valentines' Day! I'm not the biggest fan of the holiday for many reasons, mainly because my birthday falls directly on it and I can never throw parties the day of anymore haha; not since I was a kid. However, my Echo Alexa did sing me Happy Birthday lmao. Yes, my 31st birthday was on Friday :) and to celebrate, I am giving you a 14k word chapter to correspond with February 14th. I'm a giver and only a receiver for those fantastic reviews! It's not easy being an author and having to write and plan every detail of a story, especially one like this that has so many small and large details, and deal with nit pickers and ones who don't fully grasp what I'm trying to do. Not that this story has any, just in general. But having you all in my corner makes the grueling research, hours of typing and editing, AND annoying my husband, all worth it! I love each and every single one of you. Thank you for sticking with me! Enjoy XOXO**

_“I believe in you, I can show you that, I can see right through, all your empty lies, I won't stay long, in this world so wrong_  
_Say goodbye, as we dance with the devil tonight, Don't you dare look at him in the eye, As we dance with the devil tonight”_  
_-Dance with the Devil- Breaking Benjamin_

Chapter 19- The Devil of Hope

Theo glanced at Harry as he, Ron, and Neville spoke in their small group and noticed a slight giddiness about the way the Gryffindor Hero was speaking. The poor git was making it distressingly obvious that something had occurred between him and Pansy, however, the only person who seemed unaware of his surroundings, was Ron, who was leaning back in his seat and twirling his wand between his fingers. But since the Slytherin had befriended Weasley, he had come to realize that the redhead seemed to always know more than he let on and decided to question him about his thoughts on the matter once they returned to Hogwarts.

Although, like Theo, Neville too seemed aware that something was off, but appeared to feel uneasy about speaking up. His leg was shaking anxiously as his arms were crossed in front of him and his eyes refused to look up unless someone was talking directly to him.

“Are you alright, mate?” Theo questioned with a raised brow as he continued to study Neville across from him.

“What?” the Gryffindor replied quickly before his eyes began to dart back and forth between the three wizards gazing at him curiously.

“I asked you if you were alright…”

“Me? Oh! I’m fine. Why? Do I look unwell?”

“You look like you’ve seen something you shouldn’t have. And you are acting a bit odd” Ron chimed in. “What, you see Harry and Parkinson kissing or something?” he joked, causing both Harry and Neville to snap their attention to the redhead. “I was kidding…Waaiiit a second…” he claimed while rapidly sitting up straight.

“I didn’t kiss Pansy!” Harry stated a little too quickly.

“No! Merlin’s beard, no!” Neville lied as he looked to the raven-haired wizard with wide eyes. “It’s nothing like that! Parkinson just had me worried after I ran into them in the hall, is all. Mentioned something about how if she had to kill someone, she would never tell us how and that poison is for the weakhearted…And now, I’m a bit scared of her…” Ron eyed his Herbology friend curiously before sitting back in his seat and re-crossing his arms.

“A bit? You look as if you got on her bad side and are fearing for your life, mate” he scoffed with a slight chuckle. “Can’t really blame you though; she does have an edgy appearance about her that screams ‘I’m hot, but I’ll kill you if you glance at me wrong’.”

“She is an intimidating woman…” the Gryffindor replied as Harry began to unconsciously scowl at Ron.

Noticing how uncomfortable both Neville and Harry were getting, Theo cleared his throat, leaned forward as he rested his elbows on his thighs, and decided to change the subject.

“So, how much homework do you think we’ll have?” he laughed lightly. “We were gone for a while…”

“Homework?” Ron expressed with a roll of his eyes. “Try all the studying we’re gonna have to do in order to take the NEWTs! I hate studying as it is, and now we’re going to be expected to try and catch up while still attending classes and doing loads of essays, without Hermione! Shite’s bloody barbaric, if you ask me. Borderline child abuse.”

“Maybe we can do a group study session?” Neville quipped. “Luna is a Ravenclaw and Parkinson is a lot smarter than anyone gives her credit for. I’m sure they’d be willing to help us out. Plus, all of us have at least one subject we excel in, which we can tutor each other in.”

“And which subject exactly, does Ronald excel at?” Harry laughed as his friends’ cheeks flushed in embarrassment.

“Oh, shut it, you tosser!” Ron scowled before shaking his head as the rest of the guys laughed.

“Hey…” a female voice cut in, causing the boys to halt their conversation and look up behind Harry.

“Oh hey, Pans” Theo smiled widely as Pansy cordially waved to him. “Is the Floo ready?”

“Yeah, um, Professor McGonagall sent an Owl just now saying that all the students are in class and that we should be able to head to our common room undisturbed. We’ll be arriving in her office and Piskey will be back here shortly to collect our things.”

“Sounds like a plan!” Harry chirped as he clapped his hands against his thighs and stood up, grateful to remove himself from the current discussion. “I’m actually ready to see something other than this room everyday” he chuckled as the rest of his group stood.

“Personally, I’m ready for this all to be over so we can move on with the rest of our lives…” the redhead shrugged while placing his hands in his pockets. “I just want our friends, and my sister, to return home safely, Harry to stop having horrible visions, and to be done with school. I never should have come back. We should have just taken that opportunity given to us to join the Auror Academy in the beginning of the year, when we had the chance, Harry.”

“It wouldn’t have prevented what happened” the raven-haired wizard replied as a matter of fact. “We still would have been called in because Hermione and Ginny are family, which means we would have still done the ritual to try and save them; and instead of keeping this all under wraps, like the Headmistress wants, the Auror Department would have gotten wind when they noticed two war heroes were suddenly staying at Malfoy Manor. In addition to that, having us not present at the museum wouldn’t have stopped the amulet from taking them. We weren’t even around when it went off.”

“That’s not the point I was trying to make.”

“I know what you were trying to say, Ron, but it still wouldn’t have made a difference. So, can we go now? We can talk about this later.”

Nodding his head while sighing, Ron and the rest of the students clambered towards the adults, who were talking among themselves, and began to say their farewells to each of them before stepping into the large fireplace with Hagrid following swiftly behind. After promising to keep one another updated on everything, the Giant grabbed a large handful of the silvery floo powder from the bowl Narcissa had in her outstretched arms and proceeded to transport all six students through the green embers back to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

XX

Once the large group had arrived in McGonagall’s office and looked around for the Headmistress, who was nowhere to be found, Hagrid escorted the students to their dormitories while explaining that their Professor was teaching at the present moment. The corridors leading up to the shared common room were eerily empty as everyone was attending their classes, and it made the group feel concerned about their return to the school. At first, they were all pleased to sleep in their own beds again, but the sudden realization that they would have to interact with their suspicious peers, who were wondering where they had all gone, and would question where Hermione, Ginny, Draco, and Blaise were as well, caused and uneasiness to stir in the pit of all their stomachs.

Reaching the large portrait containing the founders of the castle, Hagrid spoke the password and waited for the door to open. As a request from Molly, and permission from Pansy, Luna was permitted to pass on sleeping in the Ravenclaw Tower for the remainder of the year and room with the Slytherin Princess, so the blonde wouldn’t feel so alone. A second bed was put into the chamber and the living quarters were slightly expanded in order to accommodate both girls.

Stepping into the dark lounge, Hagrid waved his pink umbrella and ignited a fire in the hearth to the left of the room. Neville then stepped forward and flicked his wand to light the sconces surrounding the quarters, illuminating the chamber with a soft fiery glow. A silver gilded wrought iron railing wrapped around the second level of the vast room as four stark white doors rested to the left and to the right of the terrace, each with a gold plate inscribed with the owners’ name. Straight ahead on the bottom level, directly between the two large white marble staircases, sat the door to the coed washroom, similar to the Prefects’ bathroom on the fifth floor of the castle. In the center of the room were two black leather couches that faced one another with a crystal coffee table resting between them. To the left near the fireplace, that matched the marble stairs, were three tall bookshelves that balanced out the room, along with two large grey desks paired with eight comfortable milky chairs.

“What…the…bloody hell happened in here?” Ron queried as he looked at all the new furniture.

“Mrs. Malfoy redec’rated fo’ all yah” Hagrid claimed proudly. “Said the place need’d a bit of spiffin up. Did all yer rooms as well. Claims she owed it ter yeh and that yer allow’d to take it all with you when yah leave. ‘Cept fo’ the items on the main f’oor, cos’ they’ll be usin’ this room fo’ the Head’s next year.”

“She didn’t have to get us all new furniture” Theo stated in amazement. “Let alone completely upgrade…everything.”

“We must all send an Owl to thank her” Luna pipped while standing next to Pansy with a smile plastered on her face, before grabbing the raven-haired witch’s wrist and dragging her passed the couches and up the stairs.

While the guys settled into their newly decorated suites, Pansy got comfortable on her new white fluffy queen-sized bed set near the left side of the room, while Luna gazed around the silver colored bedroom in awe.

“You have such a pretty room, Pansy. Thank you for allowing me to stay with you.”

“Thank you, Luna, and it’s no problem. I sort of always wanted a roommate. Sleeping alone is…rough, at times.”

“…Are the Slytherin Dormitories set up differently than the rest of the other houses?” the blonde witch inquired while taking a seat on her bed across from the raven-haired witch. “I thought everyone had housemates they had to share a room with…?”

“They’re the same, just…I didn’t exactly have a lot of girlfriends, ya know?” Pansy replied while hugging her knees close to her chest. “No one really liked me. It was one thing for everyone to pretend to be my friend in public, but behind closed doors…all the girls shut me out. It’s one of the reasons I mainly only have guy friends.”

“Well I like you, Pansy!” Luna chirped as she bounced slightly on the mattress. “You’re a wonderful friend! I won’t shut you out.”

“Thanks, Luna…” the Slytherin stated in a morose tone.

“Harry really likes you too, you know. Will you be off to see him tonight? I know he’s going to want to see you.”

“I beg your pardon?” Pansy asked while raising a shocked brow.

“Aren’t you two dating?”

“Who said we were dating, Luna? What do you know?” she requested while lowering her legs and turning fully to face the Ravenclaw.

“Well, you both are always together, and I’ve seen the way he looks at you when you aren’t paying attention. I just assumed-I’m sorry.”

“H-ho-how does he look me?” she questioned with her interest peeked.

“Like you’re the only girl in the room” Luna snickered before standing up to continue looking around. “I’ve never really seen him look at any other girl that way before. Not even with Ginny” she claimed while proceeding to pick up a snow globe from Pansy’s dresser and examining it before gently setting it back down and heading over to the closet full of luxury clothing belonging to the Slytherin Princess. “Oh, this is pretty!” she exclaimed while picking out a black leather blazer.

“Thanks. I bought it for a potential date but…Oh, my Gods!” she stated rather loudly while jumping off the bed and placing a hand against her forehead, while surprising the blonde witch slightly.

“What? What’s wrong? Did I ruin it?”

“No, Luna…I’m sorry, I just…I never even asked Harry what I was supposed to wear…” she admitted while slumping her shoulders and plopping herself backwards onto the bed.

“Supposed to wear?” Luna questioned in confusion. “Like for a date? Harry asked you on a date?” she grinned happily as Pansy groaned into her palms covering her face. “I knew it!”

“Yes,” she confessed before removing her hands and sitting up “he asked me out, but we weren’t dating beforehand, I swear. He said he wanted to take me to dinner on Saturday, wherever I wanted to go in Hogsmeade. What am I supposed to do? I can’t ask him now, that would be embarrassing.”

“You said that he told you to pick the place, right?” Luna inquired while looking down at the blazer in her hands as an idea formed in her mind. “Then my suggestion would be to pick a place that’s not super fancy, so you don’t have to wear an evening gown; though I think you would look absolutely stunning in this blue dress over here, “ she stated while pointing to a skin tight, strapless, royal blue floor length gown tucked neatly behind a few pleated skirts. “But we can save that for a big event or maybe a third date. Anyway, just pick a place that’s nice but not over the top and not too casual. It’s a first date, so not The Three Broomsticks…Hmm…Oh, what about that new place that just opened!”

“The Witch’s Brew?” Pansy queried with a raised brow as she leaned back on her hands.

“No, that other place, the um…Wolf’s Den!” she snapped her fingers with a wide smile. “It’s not a pub, but it does have a nice bar, but it’s also not over the top luxurious either. It’s perfect! It even has a fireplace you guys can sit near while you eat” she swooned. “I’ll send an Owl and make a reservation as soon as we’re done picking out your outfit! Oh, he’s not going to be able to keep his eyes, or his hands” she smirked, “off of you!”

“You’re horrible!” the raven-haired witch giggled as she grabbed a pillow and tossed it at the blonde, who laughed before laying the blazer on her bed and turning back to the closet. “We aren’t even official yet. I’m not going to give myself up when he just kissed me today.”

“He kissed you?” Luna pouted cheerfully.

“Yeah, it a…” Pansy paused for a moment as she replayed the multiple kisses in her mind and blushed as Luna grinned from ear to ear. “It a-it was nice. Really nice actually.”

“Well I hope this works out between you two. I think you both would make a really good couple. I’m happy for you” the Ravenclaw admitted as Pansy lowered her gaze and smiled. “Now…” she rubbed her hands together as she turned to study the wardrobe before her, “let’s complete this outfit. I want to see his jaw fall off when he sees you; soooooo…Oh, definitely these heels!” she claimed while bending down to pick up a pair of black four-inch stilettos with a single thin strap that wrapped over the toes.

As Luna continued to pick out items of clothing from the Slytherin’s closet, Pansy realized just how much fun she was having with the goofy Ravenclaw and loved how open she could be without feeling like she was being judged. The blonde actually seemed to want to be her friend and it made her extremely happy. However, she couldn’t help but feel somewhat dejected that Harry may not want to still go out with her. Neither of them knew when he would have another vision, which in itself was stressful, but he also may have just been caught up in the moment when he kissed her and asked her out. Though he seemed sincere enough, Pansy still had doubts that he would change his mind. After all, she wasn’t as popular as everyone thought her to be and she was still a conniving Slytherin at heart. Once he got to know the real Pansy Parkinson, he may never want to see her again.

“Are you alright?” Luna asked while holding a camisole in her hands and gazing at the raven-haired witch with sullen eyes. “You’re spacing out more than I usually do…”

“What if he changes his mind, Luna? What if he realizes that I’m not the girl for him?”

“I don’t see why he would think that. You’re an amazing witch and an even better friend.”

“Not as good a friend as you may think. For starters, I can’t even tell everyone, which I know in the end will end up hurting him more than me.”

“Why can’t you tell anyone? You told me. I don’t think anyone would judge you” the blonde stated while taking a seat on the Princess’s bed.

“Have you met Ronald Weasley? Or Theo? They would lose their minds if they found out. Not to mention my parents…?”

“Do you like Harry, Pansy?” Luna contested softly as Pansy nodded her head and looked to the floor, before clasping a hand over the Slytherins’, and warmly smiling. “Then it doesn’t matter what everyone else thinks. All that matters, is what you and Harry believe. If you fancy each other then what’s the harm? People will accept it or deny it, and that’s their choice. However, that shouldn’t stop you from following your heart. If the ones you care about honestly care about you, then they’ll find a way to come to terms with who you decide to be with. I wouldn’t be me if I allowed others to dictate what I believe in, even if they think I’m loony. Why should you change or hold back to please them?”

“Because…I’m needy a-and insecure…I just want people to like me…”

“I like you. Harry likes you. Neville’s scared of you, but he likes you too” she chuckled softly causing a small giggle to escape the Slytherins’ throat. “We all like you, Pansy, but if you’re really that worried about how Harry might feel, then you have to talk to him about it. He’s the only one who can give you the answers you’re searching for…I also promise to not say anything, even to Neville if that’s what you want.

“And as for being needy and insecure…You are beautiful, Pansy, inside and out. Don’t ever let anyone tell you otherwise or allow them to hang your past over your head. Plus, I know Harry has a knack for always being the center of attention, which means deep down, he needs someone to cling to him. It not only helps him feel important, but it allows him to know that he’s wanted too. And maybe…just maybe…he can help you feel wanted as well.”

“You’re really nice, Luna…I’m sorry for ever bullying you and saying you were a nutter…”

“That’s alright!” she pipped with a broad smile and quickly jumped up. “You can make it up to me by helping me pick out an amazing outfit for your date on Saturday! Aaaaand in return for letting me borrow this camisole,” she chortled while holding up the shirt in her hand, “talk to Harry tonight so you can stop worrying. I’ll cover for you if Theo or anyone comes looking for you.”

“Are you sure you want to do this for me? I-I’m not the easiest person to get along with.”

“I’m sure, Pansy. Friends don’t give up on each other just because things get difficult. I’ll always be there for you…So…can I borrow this top?”

“Sure” she chortled with a shake of her head…Thank you, Luna…Seriously. I-I really appreciate you trying and, well, for being my friend.”

“Best friends!” she smiled while biting her lower lip and twirling her body back and forth as Pansy scoffed with a smile of her own.

“Yeah…Best friends…”

XX

Standing in front of Harry’s door, at two o’clock in the morning, Pansy breathed heavily as she thought about knocking. After picking out an outfit for Saturday the Slytherin was actually impressed by, Luna had told Pansy to wait until everyone was asleep, or at least in their dorms, before going to see the Gryffindor Prince. Why she decided to wait until well after midnight to do so, she had no idea. Maybe to delay the inevitable for as long as possible or because she feared he might actually want her; either way, she was an anxious mess as she played with the robe wrapped around her.

She figured the Golden Boy was most likely asleep and wouldn’t answer, however, the Ravenclaw all but pushed her out the door in order to get the ordeal done and over with. It was strange to say that Luna, of all people, had become an extremely good friend to her, someone she honestly never saw coming. But she was excited to have a female companion on her side for once and made a promise to treat Luna to an all-expense paid shopping trip one day. Though as she stood outside the Boy-Who-Liveds’ room and nervously tapped her fingers against the side of her thighs, she strongly began to rethink the trip and instead put live frogs under the blondes’ pillow for forcing her to do this. Not that she really would, but the irritation was enough to cause her to imagine the screams the blonde would emit from her wee lungs and it slightly cheered her up.

Taking in a deep breath while raising a hand, she was about to knock on the door when the entryway suddenly opened, startling her, as a shirtless Harry stared at her in shock.

“Pansy?” he breathed out with a widened gaze as her eyes involuntary looked over his chiseled body. While taking in the full view of his Seeker muscles, Pansy couldn’t help but notice how much hair was on his chest and wondered if it was a house thing. All the Slytherin boys had barely any body hair as the Gryffindor ones seemed rather fond of the rugged outdoorsy look. She had to admit though, he did look like a man who was willing to fight a bear for her if it came down to it, and it caused her breath to catch as a tingle could be felt brewing below her waist. “Pansy, what are you doing?” he whispered as he leaned out to make sure no one else saw her while simultaneously trying to snap her out of her trance. Not the he minded her eyeing him like he was a piece of candy, he was just simply perplexed as to why she was outside his room so late at night.

“I uh…” she began before shaking her head to remove the lustful thoughts and glancing up at his face. “I-I wanted to see if we could talk-What are you doing?”

“I was about to go downstairs and take a bath. I couldn’t sleep and figured no one would be down there this time a night.”

“But we have class in the morning…”

“I’m aware…Are you okay?” he questioned as his eyes flickered over her outfit. Her black bunny slippers made him internally chuckle a bit, as her emerald green pajama bottoms and ebony tank top were partially covered by a dark silk robe. “Did you wanna come in and talk or…do you want to go down to the bathrooms with me?”

“Why would I want to go to the bathrooms with you?” she quickly questioned, throwing him off slightly.

“You just said you wanted to talk. And again, it’s not like you haven’t seen me naked before…”

“That was different!”

Tilting his head in confusion, Harry studied the raven-haired witch before him as he wondered why she was acting so anxious. He could tell that something was on her mind, but he had no idea what or why she was reluctant to just say it. He hated when females, namely Hermione, refused to say what was on their mind as it caused him to worry about if he had done something wrong.

“Come with me” he stated before grabbing a towel from off the top of his dresser by the door, stepping out, and closing the entryway behind him.

Gripping her hand in his, he guided her down the stairs and into the shared bathroom. He released his grip once they both had entered and set his towel down beside the large in-ground tub that could easily fit ten or so people inside. The bathroom and the tub weren’t as large as the Prefects’; however, it was better than the single sized one he had to utilize when he lived at the Dursley’s.

Taking off his crimson bottoms, which caused Pansy to cover her eyes and turn away, Harry left his dark grey boxers on while rolling his eyes and smirking, before turning on the water and one of the faucets for the soap. Choosing the Bergamot scent, which he had read was not only good for sleep but had other benefits as well to soothe the body, Harry turned back to the Slytherin who was still refusing to uncover her eyes.

“I’m still semi-dressed, Pansy, you don’t have to look away. You-you can join me if you like. I don’t mind waiting if you want to go back up to your room to grab a suit or transfigure your outfit. I can duplicate a towel for you.”

“Why are you doing this?” she demanded in concern.

“Doing what? Taking a bath? Talking?” he replied with narrowed brows of bewilderment. “I already told you-”

“No, why are you being so nice to me? Why did you really kiss me back at Malfoy Manor? I tried to turn you over to the Dark Lord, for Merlin’s sake!”

“Pansy, what is going on? We talked about all of this already. I don’t blame you for trying to save yourself. I-I don’t fully understand where all of this is coming from…”

“It’s coming from the uncertainty that I’m not good enough for you and that you only asked me out as payment for taking care of you over the last few days. It’s coming from the self-doubt that you won’t like me once you get to know the real me. It’s coming from the fact that I…I think you don’t like me nearly as much as I’m starting to like you…”

“Only starting?” he breathed out with a small chuckle.

“You know what I mean!”

“Yeah okay, I get that you feel that way, but I don’t understand why. It’s bloody apparent I wanna be with you. And I don’t want to take you out as payment for being my friend when I needed one. I don’t know where you’re getting the idea that you’re not good enough, but I need you to stop. Because you are good enough…It’s me who’s not good enough for you…”

“What? Wh-why would you think that?”

“For the same reasons we are standing in this bathroom, in the middle of the night, having a conversation that’s obviously not needed...Insecurities” he half shrugged.

“What do you have to be insecure about?” she inquired with a small scoff. “You’re the Wizarding Savior.”

“Are you serious? Have you looked in the mirror lately, Pansy? You’re fucking breathtaking and I…I’m just…Harry…A half-blooded orphan wizard whose only great talent is that I’m good at Quidditch and by sheer luck, and a lot of help from my friends, defeated Voldemort. Besides the fact that you were trying to save yourself during the war, which is a hundred percent understandable, and that you were kind of a bitch for a long while-”

“Hey!” she cut in in offense.

“Oh, come off it! I’m not going to sugar coat anything for you, Pansy” he claimed while crossing his arms and furrowing his brows. “You’re a grown woman who can handle the shite I say. You have been since first year. You were a bitch for a long while, but I would never use that against you. I’m not going to be indirect just to please you. What I am going to do, is take you to dinner Saturday, pay for your meal, buy you a fucking drink or two, hope that I don’t embarrass myself when I kiss you goodnight, and pray that you’ll want a second date with me after it’s all said and done because I bloody fancy you.”

“Why? I don’t understand what it is about me that you like so much!”

“Why? Why the hell do I need a reason to want the most beautiful witch in this damn school? Why do I need to explain that ever since you leaned over that bloody tub to stir in the fucking muggle soap, that I’ve wanted to shag the shite out of you? I don’t need to give you a reason for me wanting to impress you or wanting to do everything I can to make you feel good about yourself. I’m not a man of words, I’m a man of action and I can’t give you what you’re looking for through conversation.

“My ways of proving that I care about you and hope that this can work out is…” he paused while staring at the stunned Princess as his breath grew heavy. “M-my way is to show you by treating you as well as I can” he continued softly. “I can’t tell you why, Pansy, because it came out of nowhere and I can’t fully comprehend it myself. I can only ask that you allow me to show you. Whether it be in private or in front of everyone, I don’t honestly care, I just…I just want to treat you with the respect you deserve.”

He ran his fingers through his disheveled hair before he glanced away and rubbed the back of his neck as he thought over everything, he had just admitted to her. He didn’t mean to tell her that he wanted to shag her senseless nor did he mean to confess that he was basically scared she would turn him away. He wasn’t good with things like this and it was driving him crazy that he was having a hard time communicating his true feelings.

“I’ll get in the tub with you…” she stated in an almost whisper, causing him to look up at her over his glasses in surprise. “But only to talk…We aren’t having sex before the first date. I’m not a slag.”

“I never said you were…” he claimed with a sigh. “Wait, y-y-you want to have sex with me? I-I mean after the first date?” he questioned as fear began to churn within his stomach. He had only ever had sex once in his life and never thought Pansy, who he couldn’t keep his eyes off of, would ever consider someone who was inexperienced.

“I know you didn’t. I just wanted to make that clear. And…I don’t know…Possibly. For now, I want us to get through this self-conscious stage so that you can take me to Wolf’s Den, buy me a few drinks, kiss me goodnight, and then ask me on a second date so that I can say ‘yes’.”

“Wolf’s Den?” he inquired with a slight chuckle as he gulped at the idea of intercourse with the gorgeous Slytherin. “That new place that just opened up a few months ago?”

“It was Luna’s idea” she admitted with a warm smile. “She assumed we were dating already and when I told her you asked me out, she helped me pick out a nice place, my outfit, and sent an Owl to make a reservation for us…”

“Luna? Luna Lovegood, made us a reservation and…picked out your outfit?”

“It’s actually a really nice ensemble. She seemed more like it was her going on the date rather than me, she was so excited. Even said she would do my hair and make-up for me” she giggled as Harry raised a brow and smirked.

“Well then, we wouldn’t want to disappoint her, now do we. I’ll make sure to dress nice and pick you up at your dorm say around…seven?”

“Oh, dinners at seven…”

“Okay, six then…We can play it off as me wanting to thank a friend for the last few days.”

“Luna said she would escort us to the place so that it appears we’re all together before meeting up with Neville. She’s willing to cover for us…”

“Sooooo, I’ll pick you both up at six then…”

“Six it is…And don’t be late” she grinned happily.

“If you don’t get into this tub so we can talk, then I’m taking you to The Three Broomsticks instead” he joked as she rolled her eyes and began to remove her silk robe, which caused Harry to try and divert his gaze.

“Oh, and Harry?”

“Yeah?” he replied while turning off the faucets and dipping his feet into the warm water, still refusing to look in her direction as she transfigured her sleepwear into a bathing suit.

“You are good enough” she shrugged with one shoulder as her cheeks flushed, causing the Wizarding Savior’s lips to turn up as he did his best to conceal his concern about one day trying to please her beneath the sheets.

July 5th, 1863

“I’m not understanding” Draco began as he spoke to Tala, who had a worried expression plastered on her face, “why can’t we find the medicine in the woods like you have for everything else?”

“Because the medicine we need, is not found on this mountain. Aiyana needs more than herbs to heal her infection. She is far too weak and much too old for anything natural anymore. We have tried everything the Medicine Man has. Nothing is bringing down her fever.”

“Well…let me take a look at her then.”

“No, Draco. We cannot heal her with magic” she whispered so others around them, standing outside the elders’ wigwam, couldn’t overhear. “Medicine from the closest town already goes against our beliefs. The Great Spirit would not be happy if we used your means of healing. We already planned to ensure the community’s well-being tonight during the Nikanikawe, we do not wish to upset the Great Spirit by sullying our trust. I am sorry, but I cannot allow you to do that.”

“What’s going on?” Hermione inquired as she stepped up to the pair speaking in hushed tones. “Is everything alright?”

“Everything is fine, dear” Tala claimed with a wavering smile. “Nothing you need to worry yourself with.”

“No, everything is not alright” Draco interrupted before looking to Hermione in confusion. “Where’s Red and Blaise? They were supposed to talk to you before they left.”

“I couldn’t find them…What do you mean they left? I thought only Ginny was going hunting?”

“Those sons of bitches!” he cursed through gritted teeth while throwing his head back in anger. “They were supposed to be the ones to tell you that they were leaving for three fucking-I mean freaking,” he corrected as the Chief scowled at him, “nights. I’ll tell you about it later, right now I’m more concerned about why Tala won’t just make an exception and allow me to heal one of their elders.”

“That would go against everything they believe in, Draco. Some muggles, even in our own time, would turn the offer away. You can’t go against their ideologies.”

“Ugh, fine! How far is the closest town then?”

“It’s not too far from here” the tan-skinned Native spoke up. “We chose this spot upon the mountain for a reason. It is close to Tartown, which is a small community not owned by the government. If we are ever in need of their services, in case of an emergency, they are only about a mile and a half away.”

“Okay fine, what medicine do you need? I’ll go and get it” the blonde answered while running his fingers through his hair.

“Thank you for your offer. I will make a list and retrieve the money you will need.”

“Don’t worry about the money. It’s on me.”

“But we must repay you for-’

“Tala…” he cut in before clenching his jaw tightly. “I have more money than I know what to do with. In our own time and in this one. Keep your money, just write the list.”

“Now hold on just a second” Hermione cut in. “I can’t let you go there alone. What if something happens?”

“I’ll be okay” he responded as Tala watched the couple before her with a small smile upon her lips; happy to know Hermione was beginning to feel normal again after their talk.

“I’m coming with you” Hermione added as a matter of fact.

“No, love, you need to stay here” he pleaded in a calmer tone.

“I wasn’t asking” she stated strongly before brushing passed him to retrieve her handbag from her tent as Draco rolled his eyes and sighed heavily. He then glanced to Tala, who was giving him a knowing look.

“Sometimes bad things happen to good people” she expressed graciously. “Perhaps having Hermione with you will ease your mind on your journey.”

“Why am I the only one responsible in this group!” he claimed completely fed up while he threw his hands in the air and walked away towards where Hermione had ventured off too. Though Tala couldn’t help but chuckle as the couple reminded her so much of herself and Caleb.

After she had found her beaded bag on the floor at the entrance to her tent, Hermione began following Draco deeper into the woods as he briefed her on everything she had missed. She was surprised to say the least, about Thorfinn and Regulus, but what surprised her the most was that Ginny and Blaise will have to endure a trial of their own, and the fact that she couldn’t remember anything after Draco had rescued her. It appeared her magical core really had used the Slytherins’ as a cushion and sheltered her as she tried to heal from her trauma. Forcing her to understand that what had happened at the Confederates’ campground was not her fault.

Once reaching the small town after about an hour of aimlessly walking, which appeared more like an upgraded smaller version of Salem Village, the duo had kept themselves hidden while scoping out the community to make sure it was safe to enter. However, when they thought the coast was clear, a group of men entered the town and began speaking to every civilian they had come in contact with. But as Draco intently watched and tried to get a better view of who the men were, as a few people scattered into their homes to hide, Hermione’s breathing became irregular as panic encompassed her mind. Noticing the heavy sound behind him, the blonde turned around and saw Hermione backing up with a hand clutching her chest and her eyes wider than he had ever seen them before.

“Hermione?” he uttered in a whisper as her eyes flickered up to his and tears began to stream down her face. “What’s-”

“You there!” one of the men called out to a villager, pulling the Slytherin’s focus as he turned his head to witness the interaction. “You seen any strange lookin people enter this town lately? People that may appear to be who they claim not?” Upon realizing what had freaked his girl out so badly while staring in horror at the Confederate in front of him, the Prince slowly retreated backwards, grabbed the brunette witch by the bicep, and hastily pulled her behind an average sized barn.

“Hermione!” he began as she fell back against the hard wood, her breathing still fast and erratic, and cupped her cheeks in order to comfort the hyperventilating Gryffindor. “Princess, look at me!” he demanded while still whispering so that the men couldn’t hear him. “Baby, I know you’re having a panic attack right now, but I need you to concentrate on me. I’m right here, love; I’m not going to leave you. You’re safe…I will protect you, alright? Breathe.”

While the bookworm rocked her upper body back and forth and wrapped her arms tightly around herself, Draco drew her into his embrace and tightly held her as close to his chest as he could. “Breathe, Hermione. Listen to my heart, love, I’m right here.”

Sucking in a deep gasping breath, Hermione slowed her wheezing just in time as a Confederate began making his way to the back of the barn after hearing an odd noise. When the blonde heard the footsteps approaching, he quickly brought out his wand, tucked into his sleeve, and placed a hand firmly over Hermione’s mouth. Swiftly moving behind her, while his hand remained over her lips, Draco promptly cast the spell to disillusion both of them. The two watched as the man rounded the corner and surveyed the area, while Draco did his best to keep the witch in his hold, silent. Once the man realized that no one was supposedly behind the building, he stormed off as the blonde exhaled in relief.

Releasing the curly-haired witch, Draco removed the spell from them and peered around the barn to make sure the Confederate was actually gone, before turning back to Hermione, sobbing as she lowered herself to the ground.

“Hey, hey, hey!” he muttered as quietly as he could before placing a silencing charm up and rushing to her side. While he knelt in front of her and brushed her hair from her face, his lips fell to sadness as the salty liquid continued to stream down her reddened cheeks. “You’re okay, Princess. He’s gone.”

“What if he comes back?” she questioned as he wiped the tears from her face with his thumbs.

“He won’t-”

“What if he does? What if he brings the rest of them and-”

“Stop it!” he cut in as gently as he could. “I won’t let anyone hurt you, do you understand? And, Salazar, Hermione, you can’t drain all of your energy constantly thinking about ‘what-ifs’. You have to focus your mind on what you want to happen and what the future holds for you. Because you still have a future.”

“I can’t! I can’t breathe when I think about it; when I see the reminder of-of their faces! Those men…” she stated as tears proceeded to fall into her lap, “they took everything from me. They took a part of me that I can’t ever get back! They broke me, Draco. They showed me h-how weak I really am. How insignificant I am. I was a god damn war heroine in our time but out here…out here I-I’m nothing. I couldn’t even defend myself when I needed to the most. And you, and Ginny, and Blaise…you will never get it! You will never understand what I went through!”

“I was the one who saved you, Hermione…” he asserted flatly. “I was the one, who stormed through a raging battlefield to find you, walked into that tent, saw what those men were trying to do, and murdered them in cold blood…I know full well what you went through because I saw it with my own eyes. You may think that we don’t get it, but you haven’t even given us a chance to tell you how much we actually do.

“And I know you don’t want to hear this right now, love, but…you’re not that different from the rest of us. I’m terrified to walk through the woods alone, even though I’ve been trying to overcome my fears by doing it anyway. I still have nightmares of being tortured and tormented, in Salem, in my own home, and from the war. As for Blaise, he hardly ever sees his mother anymore because she would rather fulfill her own selfish need of finding a man than take care of her only son who needed her. He was basically homeless after the Battle of Hogwarts until my mother took him in after I pleaded with her.

“And Ginny…Gods, Ginny calls out Fred’s name in her sleep almost every night. You never hear it over your own nightmares and Blaise doesn’t know how to handle it other than doing his best to comfort her as she tosses and turns. She lost a brother because of me and still somehow found a way to forgive me for letting those Death Eaters into the school.”

“That is not the same. Your pasts are different-”

“Are they…? Pain is pain, Princess. We’re all affected by it no matter how it chooses to appear. And until you accept that those things, my bullying, those men, that amulet, whatever, are things that you can’t control, that the only thing you can control is how you react to them…Then you are honestly going to keep falling apart and never get better. You need to start seeing passed your pain in order to see that we…are exactly the same. Those men didn’t take everything from you, Hermione, you are giving them control and allowing what they did to break you. They’re dead…and I promise you they’re never coming back…Stop giving them the victory of destroying you. You are far from weak and you are far from insignificant.”

“I’m not you, Draco. I can’t just let this go…”

“I have never let anything go. I either bottle it up and refuse to let anyone see or I find a way to forgive, but always remember…But I’m not telling you to be me…I’m asking you to be you…Your story isn’t over yet.”

“I-I gave them my power, Draco…” she sobbed while raising a shoulder. “I gave it away…”

“No, they tried to take it. There’s a difference. There are a lot of things you can give a man, Princess. Your body, your time, even your heart; but the one thing they can never take from you, something you can never give them even if you wanted to…is your power. Know how strong you are and how much stronger you can be. Be you, Hermione…and let your scars and your heartbreak be a reminder of who has carried you this far. Until you can do that, you are always going to feel small because no one else in this world, past or present, can fill your shoes…You're the only person who can pull yourself out of this hell. Not me, not your friends...you. You are the only one who can choose to move forward.”

“I…I-I don’t know if I can…if I’m strong enough…”

Draco gazed at the brunette for a long while as he thought strongly about his next actions. He knew that no matter what happened he wouldn’t regret his decision, but it would end up hurting in the long run. However, it needed to be done if he was going to be able to help the woman broken in front of him and he needed to do everything he could if he was going to save her from herself.

“Stand up…”

“I beg your pardon?”

“Stand up…please…” he repeated as he helped her to her feet and took her hand in his. He then began to guide her back into the woods, where no one would be able to see them, and once he found a good spot, released her hand, and turned around. Crossing his arms, he stared Hermione directly in the eye in sadness and licked his lips as he exhaled a deep breath.

“Draco…what are we doing?”

Taking a single step back, Draco glanced to the ground before sullenly looking back up at his girlfriend.

“Hit me…”

“What? Are you crazy?”

“Hit me” he repeated.

“Have you gone completely mental? I’m not going to hit you?” she expressed in a mixture of shock and confusion

“Hit me, Hermione…”

“W-why…? Why are you doing this? I don’t need to hit you, Draco. I-I’m not going to.”

“You had no issues slapping the shite out of me in Rome, or Pompeii for that matter…So, why can’t you do it when I ask you to?”

“This is barbaric a-a-and mental!”

“Hermione…” he began as he threw his head back to try and remove the tears brewing within his stormy eyes before lowering his gaze as he composed himself. “You have always been the strongest. Of our group, of your friends back home, of your family, and even of yourself. You faced dinosaurs, Caesar’s assassination, a psychotic caveman, a fucking volcano and it’s ash cloud, even the Black Death and you never once let any of that break you…You have held back when you should have lost complete control, and you have restrained yourself for far too long.

“You’re shattered. The life you knew is over and you don’t believe that you will ever get back to the person you used to be…and that’s okay because that’s life. We all have to change to fit it, not the other way around. We all have our ups and we all have our downs, but you are letting the bad outshine the good and it has to stop. I brought you out here to show you, that you are so much stronger than you think; than you ever were.”

“Draco…I’m not going to hit you.”

“Love, what did you do when Weasley returned after leaving you and Potter in the woods?”

“What does that have anything-”

“What did you do, Hermione?” he demanded with more intent.

“I-I got mad at him.”

“And what have you done anytime one of your dimwitted friends fucked up or I annoyed you?”

“I got mad. I don’t-”

“Exactly! You got mad! You released that anger and you felt better afterwards, didn’t you?”

“I guess…” she shrugged halfheartedly.

“Ever since I saved you, you have held it all in. You’ve shown sadness, you’ve shown fear, and you’ve showed defeat…You showcased every other emotion except for the one you needed to show the most…Anger.”

“I don’t…I don’t understand what-”

“You need to let it out. You have expressed as much misery as you can but now…now you need to release the anger you feel, the hatred brewing inside of you since the museum…So, hit me” he ordered. “I can take it.”

Hermione threw her hands in the air as she shrugged and placed her hands upon her head in a mixture of confusion and worry.

“I’m not mad at you. And you look nothing like the men who hurt me so…”

“Listen, you can either let it out or…”

“Or what?” she contested.

“Or…I hex you” he claimed decisively as his wand slid down his forearm in his sleeve and came to rest perfectly within his left hand. He then pulled her wand from his pocket and tossed it to her.

“Hex me?” she inquired confusingly as she caught the Vinewood in the air before flickering her eyes up to him. “You wouldn’t.”

“Try me” he claimed determinedly. “I’m not going to allow you to hold yourself back” he declared while crossing his arms and putting on a face of indifference. “Not anymore. If you don’t want to grow up and try, then I don’t have any other choice. Either duel me or we’re done” he lied, all the while hoping the tactic he had chosen to use would cause a spark to ignite within her.

“Draco…What the hell? You’re seriously going to break up with me because I am going through something you apparently can’t seem to understand? This isn’t easy for me!” she retorted in shock, causing the blonde to scoff.

“There you go again! You still can’t grasp the concept that you are not the only damn person in the world who has gone through shite. Actually, now that we’re talking about it, let’s add in the fact that you’re also not the only damn person in the world. Though apparently, we all need to fall on our hands and knees when Hermione Granger is feeling broken, but Merlin forbid if any of us inferior people ever suffer through anything. We have to pick ourselves up because it’s nothing compared to what you’re going through, right? My torture was not the same pain, right? Stop playing the damn victim and act like the bloody survivor you are!”

“Why are you doing this?” she questioned as tears brimmed her lashes.

“Why? Because I’m broken too, Hermione! And two broken people do not belong together!” he shouted as he allowed his temper to get the better of him.

“But you told me that you never wanted to leave me…Draco, I know you’re lying right now. You don’t have to try a-and bring me down more just to…I don’t know, cause me to snap or whatever…”

“You think I’m saying these things to get you angry?” he lightly scoffed as he bit his bottom lip and nodded his head in irritation. “When are you going to accept that I’m not out to get you?” he inquired flatly. “I believe in you, Hermione, but if you can’t believe in yourself then what’s the point? Maybe you were right. Maybe staying together is a waste of time and you’re only going to bring me down with you into your hell.”

“I never said that being together was a waste of time!” she yelled as her cheeks began to grow red. However, Draco had to hold back a smirk of satisfaction when he saw the flame begin to churn within her. Though he had to maintain a face of indifference in order to obtain his goal of her releasing the rage coursing through her veins. The problem, however, was that he was actually getting extremely angry; and everything he had just said to her were things he had felt for a while now and kept hidden. But it was too late to take it all back now and his temper continued to rise.

“Same…difference…” he hissed with furrowed brows.

“If that’s what you think, then you really are a git!”

“Maybe I am, but you’re the one choosing to give up. Not me! Perhaps I should just go back to calling you a filthy little Mudblood, because apparently you want to act like one” he scoffed once more before turning around to walk away. However, as soon as the words reluctantly left his lips, Draco knew she would fight back, and he gripped his wand tighter in his hand; longing for a good duel they both had needed for a long time. It wasn’t long after he said those words, that his witch threw a non-verbal hex at him, causing him to quickly turn around and block the spell with a Protego charm. “Guess I touched a nerve…” he smirked before she threw another hex, which he blocked effortlessly. “Come on, Princess. You can do better than that. You’re not even trying” he mocked.

“I know what you’re doing, Draco. I know you only said that to piss me off, but I can’t give you want you want.”

“Then we’ll have to try a different method…” he muttered under his breath as he lowered his wand and heavily sighed. While rubbing the back of his neck with his hand and thinking strongly about his next move, Draco threw his head back slightly and pinched his lips tightly together. He didn’t want to do it, but he was running out of options and realized his anger wasn’t helping any. It was a decision however, he feared might destroy his relationship if it didn’t work out the way he wanted, but determination was a powerful thing and he refused to give up…even if it meant he would lose her in the end “I’m…I’m sorry…” he stated while meeting her eyes.

“It’s okay…I know you didn’t mean anything you said.”

“No, Hermione…” he claimed sullenly while placing a silencing spell around them. “I am sorry about what I said and allowing my anger to get the best of me…but that’s not why I’m apologizing” he stated as he tapped a finger against the Hawthorn wood held loosely at his side. “Please forgive me for this…”

“Forgive you…? Draco, wha-”

“Legilimens” he spoke quietly as he stared directly into her eyes, but clear enough that the spell wouldn’t waver. Entering her mind was the last thing he wanted to do, but he knew Hermione well enough to know that she no longer wanted to feel the way she was; she just needed the right motivation yet was too proud to ask for help.

Her eyes widened in shock as soon as the incantation left his lips, however, she didn’t have time to react or put up her walls before feeling the blonde forcefully penetrate her mind. She tried to shove him out as she sobbed for him to stop, but Draco was apparently a master in the craft and pushed passed her fragile barriers as if they were thin sheets of ice. Pressing further into her mind, he felt pain and anguish begin to radiate her soul but kept going until he found the memories he needed.

At first, he was only going to use the times he had verbally abused her throughout the years and could sense her getting annoyed when he reached the first day, he had ever called her that filthy slur. Although, it wasn’t enough to get her pissed; he had to dig deeper. Searching around her mind as the brunette did her best to push him out, and failing, he found the memory of when Ron had left her and Harry on their hunt for Horcruxes. He could feel the sadness wash over him as she cried herself to sleep and the image did more to break his heart than anger the bookworm, so he quickly skipped the recollection and moved on.

He passed over multiple flashbacks, yet none of them seem to bring out the rage in his witch, other than the fact that he was rummaging through her head without her permission. But he swore to himself that he would find a way to make it up to her somehow later; even if it meant groveling on his hands and knees for forgiveness, which they both knew he would normally never do. Nevertheless, he was desperate to help her and the only memory he knew might work, without having to find her attack and cause her misery, was the one he despairingly wished to avoid. Unfortunately, he no longer had a choice.

With a shattered heart, the Slytherin Prince connected his mind to the Gryffindors’ and showed her the moment he was captured in the woods…through her own eyes. At first, he could only feel sorrow and distress as Hermione somehow managed to take over and replay the memory repeatedly, and when he felt like he could no longer watch the assault, the bookworm had pressed further into his subconscious, and found the images of him in the Salem dungeon.

Grief and anguish engulfed both of them as tears unconsciously trickled down his face, but he continued to allow Hermione to see exactly what he went through. He expected that his mission to get her furious had failed, and instead focused on trying to show her that she wasn’t alone in her suffering. What he didn’t anticipate however, was for the curly-haired witch to catch a glimpse of Ann Putnam, who he didn’t remember seeing before, peek through the rails of his cell as he lay curled in a ball on the stone floor, and giggle into her hand.

The dejection that had overtaken both of them had suddenly disappeared as an uncontrollable vexation filled its place. But…the emotion wasn’t coming from him. Abruptly, Hermione pulled back from her hold on his mind and recalled the moment she had cornered Ann and her friends in the alleyway. Draco had never seen the flashback before and never wanted to ask about it as Blaise had described the situation the best he could. Despite feeling a little curious about what went down before he was rescued, the blonde honestly didn’t want to see it. Unfortunately, Hermione was too fixated on Ann to care and she forced him to watch, without thinking, as if he was a bystander.

The more the memory played out, the more the Prince could feel the fire within the witch begin to boil over. He couldn’t stop it as the brunette overpowered him in her hate filled rage and was compelled to stand against the wall as she murdered the men who tortured him before turning her sights on the raven-haired muggle. He listened carefully as she threatened the girl and was surprisingly stunned at how dark Hermione had become, before finding the strength to suppress the witchs’ magic and pull out.

Stumbling backwards in a mixture of shock and awe, Draco glanced at Hermione with a heavy breath and noticed her eyes were almost black, matching those of the memory and of his own, when he had found her in that tent. But before he had a chance to say anything, she threw a strong orange hex at him, causing him to barely have time to block the spell as he faltered in his step back. He nearly had enough time to remember how dangerous a person could be in that stage, when Hermione threw a Reducto curse, that narrowly shot passed his head and shattered into the tree behind him, startling him to his core.

One after another, she cast several charms including the Leg-Locker, a Knock-Back jinx, and a Full Body-Bind curse, which he had scarcely managed to block, before he gained his footing, and hurled an Impediment jinx back at her. She halted the spell in anger and shock, but quickly scowled and gripped her wand harder in her hand.

As the pair continued to duel in the middle of the open woods, frightened animals scattered from the area as Hermione not only thought about the people of Salem but recalled the men who had attacked her. She lost all control the more she pictured how powerless she was, to the point that she couldn’t even recognize Draco anymore.

After launching a Tempest hex and missing her target, the Golden Girl allowed every bit of anger to fill her heart, her soul, and her body, as she stared wickedly at her opponent. As her wrath began to take over and begged to be released, a crimson red glow surrounded the Gryffindor, whose hair was sparking like a thunderstorm, as she glared at Draco in pure hatred; unaware that he was not her enemy.

“What’ve I done…” he stated in a near whisper before slowly raising his hands to show her he was finished with the duel, but she didn’t seem to care and her eyes…were now as black as night. “Hermione, love…it’s me-it’s Draco. Princess…You-you don’t want to do this. You don’t want to hurt me…”

Despite his desperate attempt to pacify the situation, he still held his wand firmly in his raised hand in case he needed to shield himself from whatever Hermione threw at him. Though he anticipated the raw magic that was about to emit from her wand would be powerful, he never expected what came next after taking a small step forward. All he wanted to do was get close enough to subdue her, but as he inched towards the raging witch, the red glow grew brighter and her anger reached its pinnacle.

Quickly arching her back as her torso shot forward, Hermione began to scream out every ounce of pain from her lungs. As she continued to cry out, causing Draco to stagger in fear, a shock wave of raw potent energy erupted from her chest. When the magic detonated from her body, surrounding trees groaned as they arched away from the pair, while leaves flew from the branches and twigs snapped at the sudden pressure. The abrupt explosion of power forced the curly-haired witch to fall to her hands and knees as the bark of the trees could be heard creaking around her.

Completely caught off guard, Draco had absolutely no time to halt the attack and shouted in horror as the blast punched him directly in the upper torso, throwing him backwards a few feet, and knocking the air from his chest as he landed hard on the forest floor. It took him a few seconds of gasping in pain to even realize what she had done and to regain control of his lungs, as Hermione breathed heavily while looking to the ground and wailing. However, upon hearing the labored breaths of the blonde, the curly-haired witch ceased her sobbing and paused for a brief moment before shaking the darkness from her mind. Glancing up and seeing her wizard laying on the ground clutching the front of his shirt, Hermione began to panic in fear that she had really hurt him.

“Oh, my God…” she whispered. “Draco!” she called out before clambering to her feet and racing as fast as she could to his side. Skidding on her knees, she leaned over him and clasped her hands on either side of his face before looking down to his chest to make sure he was okay. When she didn’t see any lasting injuries, she breathed a sigh of relief and began to cry once more as she went back to cupping his face. “Are you okay? Oh God, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to! Are you alright?”

Staring up at the sky through the dense treetops, the Slytherins’ eyes darted back and forth as he tried to comprehend everything that had just happened. He was in utter shock and entirely confused but knew she didn’t mean to harm him; though it didn’t stop him from being absolutely blown away at the force behind the wandless spell.

“Did…did you know…you could do that?” he queried as she gazed at him sullenly.

“No…I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to. It was like something took control of me and…I’m sorry. It was an accident, I swear”

“I know it was, love…And don’t…” he began as he achingly sat upright “ever apologize for defending yourself” he claimed while rubbing his chest with his hand and looking over at her. “I am so fucking proud of you, Hermione.”

“Are you okay?” she questioned while slumping her shoulders.

“I’m fine” he smiled cheerfully. “Or at least I will be” he added while arching his back and slightly wincing. “Though the real question is, are you alright?” he inquired as he reached out and tenderly cupped her cheek, but never removed his left hand from his chest.

“I…” she paused as she began to stare unseeingly before flicking her eyes to his warm grey ones and biting her bottom lip. “I think so…” she admitted with a gentle smile. “I-I do actually feel a lot better. Like a weight has been lifted off me…”

“I’m sorry for taking it as far as I did…I just wanted to help you feel like your-”

“I know why you did what you did, Draco” she interrupted. “I’m not mad at you. I’m…” she chuckled slightly as she produced a soft smile and leaned into his hand cupping her cheek, “I’m grateful for you. No one else would have done what you did, let alone taken a hit like you did while I was in that stage…Thank you…for encouraging me rather than coddling me.”

“Princess, I will do anything for you, you know that, right? I know we haven’t been official for long, but I care far too much about you to allow you to ever feel like you’re not strong enough. You’re not the type who needs to be babied and I thought you needed a firmer hand. Neither Red, nor Blaise, knew how to do it without giving up as soon as you say to stop so, I was left to...” he trailed off while inhaling a deep breath. “I honestly didn’t mean to take it as far as I did and I promise to do my best to make it up to you, I swear. I am truly sorry for entering your mind without your permission. I never wanted to do that to you.”

“I think taking the hit that you did, is payment enough” she giggled softly as she rubbed her thumb gently across his skin.

“Nothing will ever be enough to repay you for the harm I caused. Not just now but…ever.”

“Stop it” she calmly demanded as she searched his grey irises. “You have proven time and time again what I mean to you, Draco. I no longer want to dwell on what we used to be. I want to focus on what we can be. As long as you’re with me, I don’t need to be scared anymore.”

“I’m not always going to be around, love…I can’t always protect you. And since we are still being honest here, I really don’t ever want to go through something like that again. The old Draco might have had fun tormenting you by invading your mind but…”

“I know…Listen, let’s just go back into town, get the medicine we need, and hurry back to camp, alright? We can discuss everything later. I would very much like to get out of the woods and warn Tala about what we saw.”

“You too, huh?” he chuckled slightly while the brunette searched his eyes and noticed how red they were.

“Draco, wer-were you crying?”

“What? No! I don’t cry.”

“I’ve seen you cry before…It was because of that memory, wasn’t it? The one I kept replaying…? It really does still haunt you, doesn’t it?” she probed dejectedly, causing him to turn away from her while pressing his tongue hard against the inside of his cheek as his eyes began to fill with fresh tears.

“You weren’t ever supposed to see what happened to me” he whispered while bringing a knee to his chest. “I didn’t want you to know how bad it was…Especially after the event of Gettysburg. But I knew you were angry when I was taken. Blaise told me. It was the only memory I could think to use to help you.”

“Oh, Draco…I…I know saying sorry isn’t going to fix anything, but-”

“It’s not your fault, Princess” he cut in while wiping his nose on his sleeve, but still refusing to look in her direction. “My pain is my own.”

“Then why help me?”

“What do you mean?” he questioned while finally glancing at her.

“Draco” she scoffed lightly, “you were willing to go to great lengths to help me feel like myself again, but it’s clear that you still have demons of your own. Why help me when you’re still struggling?”

“Because…You’re more important to me than my own well-being. As long as you’re alright, then so am I.”

“You know, the same can be said for me. I want you to be okay too.”

“I’ll be alright, Hermione. If you can find it in yourself to trust anything I say or do, then please trust me when I say that I’m okay.”

“I trust you…but you need to trust me when I say that I will always be there for you if and when you ever want to talk. If you fall, I fall.”

“Except if I fall first, there’s no one beneath me and…I’m the only one who can catch you…I can’t fall, love. Too much is expected of me.”

Sighing softly, because she knew she couldn’t win the battle of his logic just yet, and she didn’t want the conversation to turn even more sullen, Hermione weakly smiled before leaning in to hug her Prince tightly. Though when she pulled back, she rested her forehead against his and tenderly left a warm kiss upon his lips. However, as soon as the kiss had broken, Draco flicked his eyes to her soft brown irises before glancing back to her small pout and reconnected his lips against hers once more; all the while cupping her smooth cheek delicately in his calloused hand.

Unconsciously, he leaned into her while she wrapped an arm around his neck and entangled her fingers of her free hand through his shaggy hair, until her back was laying against the hard ground. Freeing her lips for a brief moment, Draco began to trail succulent pecks along her jawline before reaching her neck, however, he didn’t stop there. He continued to caress her skin with his thumb as his lips found the delicate nook just above her collar bone, causing her to softly moan as his member began to grow hard against her pelvis. Finding his way back to her mouth, he heatedly pressed into her as she lifted a leg and rubbed her thigh graciously against his right hip. Yet despite the growing pleasure they were both encompassed in, Draco suddenly pulled back as soon as he realized what they were doing and what was about to occur.

“What’s wrong?” Hermione inquired through her ragged breaths, and worry dripping from her voice. “Are you alright?”

“This…this isn’t right, we shouldn’t be doing this…Not here…” he claimed as he rolled off her and sat on the forest floor while running his fingers through his hair.

“Doing what? Snogging?” she asked while sitting up and adjusting her dress.

“No” he answered while licking his lips and throwing his head back. “Yes…I just…We need to get that medicine and head back…” he half lied. Not that they didn’t need to get the medicine for the Elder, he was simply worried about the fact that he didn’t think Hermione was ready to take their relationship to the next level just yet. The last thing he wanted was for her to have regrets or push him off as a flashback pummeled her mind. He didn’t know if she would ever be ready, but he was willing to wait as long as she needed, even if she didn’t know when she would be willing. “I’m sorry, love. I just think we really need to get what we came for and warn Tala. We don’t know how much longer that Elder has.”

“Okay…” she claimed while standing up and grabbing her wand from between a few dead leaves where it had fallen but had a strong feeling as to why he had stopped. However, she couldn’t bring herself to tell him that as long as she knew it was him, she would be okay, mainly because the moment was already lost. But as she watched him running his fingers through his hair as his eyes clearly showed he was fighting with himself, she suddenly thought that maybe he had stopped for a different reason entirely. Perhaps Draco didn’t want to have sex with her…because he didn’t love her. Though there was no way she would be able to ask him out right. She may be a Gryffindor, but courage and bravery could only go so far. “Are-are you sure it’s nothing I did?” she queried, hoping that maybe he would just say it.

“I promise you…” he began while scrambling to his feet before walking over to her and placing a tender kiss upon her forehead. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“Alright…” she weakly stated before smiling up at him. She then took his outstretched hand and lightly squeezed as he began to lead them both out of the woods and back into town.

XX

After altering their appearances slightly in order to fit in and avoid any lingering Confederates, Hermione clung to Draco’s arm as he ordered the medicine on the list Tala had given him before they left. Once placing the items into the bookworms’ bag and heading back into the woods before removing their charms, Hermione ranted to her wizard about what Blaise and Ginny decided to do when she heard a snap of a twig to her left off in the distance. Passing it off as an animal, she kept with her pace before realizing that Draco was no longer answering her, nor was he walking steadily behind her anymore.

“Oh, no…” she uttered dejectedly when she turned around to see the blonde frozen in place, staring unseeingly in front of him, seemingly lost in his own mind. But as she took a step forward towards him, her foot came in contact with a small branch on the woodland floor. The resounding crack echoed through the trees, causing the Malfoy heir to crumble in on himself while dismay began to settle in the pit of her stomach. “Draco!” she called out while running towards him as the powerful shield, he had used to protect her in Pompeii, wrapped around him in a half bubble, preventing Hermione from being able to get to him.

Draco cowered in fear as his body curled into a ball and flashes of his captors, whipping him repeatedly, flared in front of his eyes. He could no longer hear the Gryffindor Princess, who was screaming for him to lower the ward, nor could he see his witch hurl spell after spell at the shield in an effort to get to his trembling body. All of his senses were working in overdrive as he gripped his head and sobbed into his knees while lying on his side.

Every recollection of that horrid night in Salem passed in front of his face as if he was reliving the moments over and over again. He could smell the old blood and sweat that covered the stone walls, he could feel the agony as each slash of the whip crossed his skin, and could hear the cries and howls of not only the other prisoners, but of his own voice as well. Try as he might, he couldn’t shake the terror from his mind as memory after memory invaded his conscious.

However, after trying a variety of different curses and charms to remove the protection encasing her Slytherin, Hermione thought back to how Draco had described the magical bond between them and decided to try a less hostile approach to reach him. Inhaling a deep breath and then exhaling slowly, she cautiously began stepping forward while raising a shaking hand. With her wand held firmly in her right hand, in case her idea didn’t work, the brunette Golden Girl gently touched the barrier, that kept her from her Prince. To her utter astonishment, the barrier tingled beneath the palm of her hand as it recognized her and allowed her to pass safely through.

Not willing to loiter any longer, the bookworm rushed to Draco’s side and pulled him into her arms as he clung to her in desperation. Rocking him back and forth while whispering soothing words, she held onto the Slytherin as he unwillingly cried into her chest and shook within her grasp.

It took several minutes before the Malfoy heir could calm himself and lower the shield protecting them both, but Hermione continued her quiet solace while tenderly rubbing his back. Once Draco sat up and wiped his nose with the back of his sleeve, the curly-haired witch dejectedly watched while keeping a hand on him to let him know that she was still there.

“Draco…? Are you alright?” she inquired in a soft tone after a long silence, but he didn’t answer her. “Draco…? Malfoy…” she stated grievously.

“I’m-I’m so sorry…” he finally expressed while looking off to the side. “I-I don’t know what happened…”

“I stepped on a branch and I-I guess it caused you to have a PTSD moment…”

“Merlin why is it that you constantly keep seeing me at my worst? H-how are you supposed to believe that I can protect you when I have random s-sudden flashbacks of-of that night?”

“Draco…” she faintly sighed while taking his hands and moving to kneel in front of him. “I may have seen you at your worst, but I have also seen you at your best, just like you have seen with me. You’re allowed to break down every now and again…But…” she continued while gently running her fingers across his cheek and wiping away the tears staining his face, “I-I don’t understand…why now? I saw those memories earlier and you were fine…”

“I voluntarily allowed you to see them, Hermione…I knew what I was doing then, even when you took control…”

“Okay,” she understandingly smiled while lifting his chin with the tips of her fingers after thinking briefly on how to aid her boyfriend. “I’ll do whatever I can to help you through this. Maybe not the same way you helped me but…” she trailed off with a small grin before leaning in and pecking him on the left cheek before treating the right with the same loving care. She then tilted his head forward and laid a gentle kiss upon his forehead before meeting his lips with her own. The bookworm allowed the kiss to linger for a few brief seconds before pulling back slightly while rubbing her thumb gradually across his pale skin. “We don’t have to talk about what happened right now, but…how about we make a deal and…save each other…Two broken people can be together, Draco, and I’m going to make damn sure that we are proof of that. No more hiding. I don’t care if you have to break things, scream, cry, duel me…When you need me, I will be there for you…every step of the way.”

“I don’t deserve you…” he claimed while playing with the ends of her curls dangling in front of him.

“Well you’re stuck with me for now, so…” she chuckled with a shrug of her shoulder.

“I wouldn’t have it any other way” he declared while meeting her delicate brown irises and cracking a small smile. “Besides maybe, you know, not stuck in 1863…” he chuckled gently before folding in his lips with a sigh. “But I’m a prideful person, Princess…You will never see me cry again…”

“That’s doubtful” she grinned as she brushed his hair from his eyes. “You need a haircut” she claimed while changing the topic to ease his mind.

“I need a lot of things” he snorted. “Want to do the honors?”

“Oh, goodness no!” she laughed lightly as she climbed into his lap and straddled him while he wrapped his arms around her waist. “I tried that once with Harry…Never again. Though I am liking the stubble look on you. What do you think about growing a beard?”

“No” he expressed decisively as a snicker escaped his throat. “What I will do though, is bring those meds back to Tala, cut my own hair, and…leave a little stubble just for you when I shave.”

“Can…” she began while biting her bottom lip nervously, “can you do mine…?” she questioned, causing him to narrow his brows and tilt his head in confusion.

“Shave your beard? I mean, I’ll do my best, but that shite has grown completely out of control” he laughed as she smacked him playfully on the chest. “It’s like a jungle of its own! I wouldn’t even know where to begin!”

“No, you prat! My hair.”

“Why? I think your hair looks beautiful the way it is…”

“I want a change, Draco. I need a change” she admitted while sitting back on his thighs. “And I think you do too…I don’t want to look in the mirror and see the girl who was once too weak to protect herself. I want to see myself again.” Draco studied his witch for a brief moment before tucking her hair behind her ear and biting his lower lip.

“How short do you want it?” he questioned, causing Hermione to beam before she gripped both sides of his face and kissed him hard.

Once the short-lived snogging session was over, the couple took each other’s hand and began walking back to camp while discussing the haircut Hermione was envisioning. Unfortunately, neither of them were aware that the Gryffindors’ main change…would come at an unsuspecting cost.


	20. The Lions, The Snakes, and The Traitor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **This is the last chapter before the clue is revealed! Get your thinking caps on everyone, next week the interactive game begins! Rules posted before my break still apply! XOXO**

_“We are crushed and created, We are melted and made, We are broken and built up, in the very same way, What I thought I could handle, What I thought I could take, What I thought would destroy me leaves me stronger in its wake”_

_-Crushed and Created- Caitlyn Smith_

**Chapter 20- The Lions, The Snakes, and The Traitor**

July 5th, 1863

“Is this where you heard the noise?” Tala questioned after she had both Draco and Hermione bring her to the location to investigate where they’d heard the branch snap.

“Yeah…” the blonde claimed dejectedly while looking to the ground.

“I heard it come from over there after we saw the Confederates, who were looking for us, enter the town” Hermione added when she noticed how distressed Draco was getting. “I can put up a charm to protect your people…I know you don’t want us to use magic, but if the South is searching for us, we need to do everything we can to safeguard everyone.”

“No…” the Native American stated as she listened to the wind and felt the vibrations of the earth. “It appears that whatever created the noise has passed.”

“You can’t be sure of that” Draco declared adamantly. “We don’t even know if it was an animal or a person. You seriously want to risk everyone’s lives based off of a hunch?”

“The only risk I am taking is by angering the Great Spirit if I choose to allow you to place a barrier.”

“And what if those Confederates enter the camp? What if they attack you and your people? If you don’t want to protect them-”

“I understand your worry, Draco,” Tala gently cut in “however, if those men wish to fight, then a fight we shall give them. We still have plenty of men here willing to defend the land which does not rightfully belong to that army, or any army for that matter. And I will do everything in my power to secure the safety of my people and your group as well.”

“What if they die?” Hermione questioned in a low voice. “What if you die? I can’t bear to even think about it…”

“Then we shall die with honor. But death is not the end, Hermione…It is just the beginning of a new life. We will give back just as nature and the Great Spirit has given onto us. Spirits of the dead have the ability to influence the circumstances of the living, for better or for worse. Our people will hold the Death Feast in memory of those lost, to ensure they are remembered fondly, and to request that the living live out their days undisturbed by the ghosts, as you call them. There is much more to the Death Feast, but it is a way to honor the deceased. And if I shall die as well, then so be it. I am not afraid of death, my dear. When my time comes, I will welcome it with open arms if it guarantees that I get to watch over my family.”

“As noble as that sounds, Tala” the Malfoy heir began while running his fingers through his unruly hair. “It’s not right that you’re also willing to sacrifice lives to protect us. Those men are looking for us because I murdered three of their own to save Hermione. The Shawnee people should not have to bear the burden of what I did. They wouldn’t even be this far north if we weren’t sucked into that amulet. I caused the Confederates to want revenge; I’m not willing to put a bunch of innocent lives in danger because you feel it’ll betray your trust with the higher power you believe in.

“So, I’m giving you three options” he stated determinedly. “One, you allow us to place a charm up around camp, two, I do it regardless because I follow my own rules and don’t necessarily require your permission, or three, I find Ginny and Blaise and my group will figure out a way to make it on our own until the next jump or take the Confederates head on; which we could easily do at the risk of exposing magic to muggles. And I will tell you right now, I could give two shites about exposing my magic if it means I get to protect everyone. I’m done with hiding behind others. I’m not the coward I used to be anymore, and I can’t just stand by if there is even the slightest possibility of a threat.”

Tala intently stared at the blonde Prince as Hermione took his hand and gently squeezed it in support, but the Native American Chief could not allow magic to be used, no matter the cost at stake. Whether her decision to not allow a magical barrier was a gamble, she couldn’t risk angering the Great Spirit, who had given them so much to live off of. It went against everything she and the rest of the Shawnee tribe believed in. And as far as they all knew, the sound could have easily been a deer or another animal. There was no solid proof that anyone but them, were around.

“I am sorry,” she began while holding her head up high and crossing her hands in front of her “but I forbid it. You and your friends are guests of my village and are free to leave at any time; though I do wish you would stay. There is strength in numbers, and I would lose sleep worrying about your safety. However, your lives are not my responsibility; but my people…my people are.

“Though I do feel the Southern Army has most likely moved on to the next town in their search, I cannot stop you if you choose to leave, and I cannot stop you if you choose to place a charm. My only hope is that you respect me and my decision. If you cannot do that, then…then you must go. But bear in mind, Draco, this is not your era…it is mine. You do not have the right to tell me how to lead or alter history to redeem yourself of your past mistakes. I understand the pain you hold but going against me will not aid you on your path of forgiveness.”

“She’s right, Draco…” Hermione stated sullenly as she turned to face the Slytherin doing his best to hold back his anger. “And we really can’t change history. If there was not a barrier before then we can’t place one now. We have to respect Tala’s choices and…I-I’m not ready to be on our own in this time period. Please don’t do this; please don’t put up a shield.”

Draco earnestly glanced at Hermione pleading with him to listen and softened his features with a heavy sigh. He knew she was right, but the chances they were constantly taking seemed to always cause problems. He wanted so badly to go against both of the women’s wishes, but as he gazed into his witchs’ warm brown eyes, he couldn’t bring himself to say no to her; even though he knew the consequences if they were all wrong about the Confederates.

“I am not responsible if something happens” he declared adamantly as he removed his sight from the brunette and onto the raven-haired Native. “I will do as you ask and not shield the village, but I am doing it for Hermione’s sake, not yours. I admire you and your courage, Tala, however, I do feel you are making a mistake by denying the magical barricade.”

“Then I, and I alone, will hold the blame… And so, you know, Caleb has told me about your time in Salem. Apparently, your friend Blaise is rather fond of speaking freely and has told him about your torture. I want you to know how sorry I am that you had to go through something so difficult and that there are wicked people like that in this world. However, I want to also say how proud I am of you for not allowing such a horrible thing to consume you and having the strength to push forward. It must have taken much discipline to hold back your self-preservation and deny those people the revenge you surely wished to have taken…Similar to what you are doing now.”

“Thank you, Tala” Draco answered while lowering his gaze to the ground. “But if we’re being honest here, the only reason I didn’t destroy that town is because…because I was scared…My fear outshined my anger and…and I went back to my roots. I cowered. I thought I could do it, I even told Blaise I would, but deep down…I was terrified to go back in there.”

“Fear is a gift, Draco, along with failure. But without them we will never learn how to be wise. Being afraid is a sacred part of showing us that we are still alive. But the horrors we refuse to face, end up becoming our limits. Though being afraid…does not actually protect you from anything. You may have yet to conquer that which scares you, however, no matter the word you wish to call it; fear, worry, doubt, concern…trepidation…it is transient, and it is not real. It is all in your mind.

“Never let your fears decide your fate. You are cunning, ambitious, a strong leader, intelligent, even loyal from what I have witnessed. Be proud of who you have become, Draco. You may be young, but you are a man showing promising growth…Now…let us return to camp. The children are very excited to show you their dancing for the Nikanikawe and there is still much to do to prepare for the celebration of our creator…”

Draco softly smirked as Hermione proudly gazed up at him and Tala warmly smiled before she began to walk back to camp; pleased that she was able to help the Slytherin feel slightly better about his self-worth as she was aware it was a struggle for him.

“You know she just described almost all of the Slytherin traits, right?” Hermione chuckled as the pair began to follow the Chief. “And somehow turned the tables on you. Seems like she knows you better then we all thought. I like her…she’s an incredible human being. Very rare.”

“She does seem to always know the right words to say when someone is feeling down; like one of those damn annoying Hufflepuffs…Though,” he sighed while relaxing his shoulders in defeat “fucking hell, I do think I’m going to honestly miss her, once we leave this era. She has an irritating way of making you like her even when you want to be livid with her…A lot like you actually. It’s fucking infuriating, you know.”

“Well then I guess it’s a good thing I have no Native American in my bloodline” the brunette giggled as Draco rolled his eyes and smirked. “Who knows how much more kindness you can take!”

“Thank Merlin for that” he sarcastically expressed while wrapping an arm around her shoulders and laying a soft kiss upon her head as they continued their trek back to camp.

XX

“Focus” Anoki whispered into Ginny’s ear as the front of her arrow lightly bounced off the wood of the Longbow in her hands. “Breathe; do not hold your breath. Steady your arm…Good” he claimed as she did what she was told. “Center your shoulders, back straight, and open your stance more.”

“Like this?” she queried while adjusting her feet.

“Yes. Lighten your grip and position your three fingers on the string like so…” he continued while adjusting her fingers around the base of the arrow. “Find your anchor point. I find that having the first finger touching the corner of my mouth works well” the Native explained with a smile.

“Anchor point?”

“It is how far you draw the string back to ensure you draw it the same each time. Now inhale deeply and exhale slowly upon release while following through. Like I showed you.” Following the instructions, the redhead exhaled the breath she took and released the arrow as she focused on the tree in front of her. Unfortunately, she had missed her target and the arrow shot passed the trunk, missing it by almost a full meter, and causing Ginny to discouragingly frown. “That is alright,” Anoki smiled warmly. “That was very good. Most men miss by a lot more than you just did the first time they try their hand. But you are overthinking your aiming. Next time try not to try. Do not allow this to dishearten you, Ginny. Learning to hunt takes time and patience.”

“She should not be allowed to hunt at all” Ohiyesa stated with his arms crossed as he scowled at the redhead looking back at him. “She is a woman. She should be gathering with the others at camp.”

“I’m sorry, and you are?” Blaise cut in as he leaned off the tree he was resting against and crossed his arms in annoyance.

“I am Ohiyesa” he claimed firmly. “Soon to be Chief, once Tala and I are wed” he scoffed while glaring at Caleb in animosity.

“Have you gone mad?” Caleb laughed, causing Ohiyesa to scowl at him. “Tala put an end to your engagement days after her father had passed. She is no more yours than mine. Though with the way things are between myself and Tala, I am fairly certain I will be Chief before you.”

“You dare challenge me?” Ohiyesa threatened” You are lower than papikwa on a wii'ši! The Great Spirit should have cast you out ag- ”

“Listen, whatever your name is,” the Italian interrupted while Ohiyesa stepped forward as if to fight the Confederate smirking before him, “how about you do us all a favor and keep your degrading opinions to yourself. Leave Caleb and my girlfriend alone. We are simply here to help your tribe.”

“You bring these strangers into our village,” Ohiyesa stated crossly towards Caleb while ignoring the Slytherin “onto our land and allow them to disrespect our values. They are savages and should not be here. They will take from us like their ancestors of the past” he claimed adamantly before turning his sights on Blaise. “And you…You do not tell a hileni what to do? You are not my Elder or my Leader. You are nothing but mškwaawi on nikiiša.”

“Now wait just a damn minute!” Blaise contested as he uncrossed his arms and stepped forward, but Caleb quickly cut him off and pressed a hand firmly against his chest as Anoki and Ginny watched utterly stunned at the situation playing out in front of them. “I don’t know what the fuck you just said, but who the hell are you calling a savage, you right bastard!” the dark-haired wizard shouted over the brunette’s shoulder. “Sod off, you fucking git!”

“Enough!” Anoki yelled strongly as Ginny, who was still standing next to him, shuddered slightly as she eyed him worryingly. “We have not come here to argue! We have come to forage food for our people. And as long as my cousin is Chief and there is still breath in my lungs, you will follow my orders or Tala will hear of this disgrace. Blaise and Ginny are our friends and we will welcome them with open arms. Do I make my words clear?”

“We will see how long you will remain in charge…” Ohiyesa mumbled under his breath before scoffing loudly and walking away to speak to a few Natives apparently on his side.

“Do not allow Ohiyesa to get under your skin” Anoki stated to both Ginny and Blaise once the man was out of earshot. “He is a cause for trouble but has been through much over the years.”

“Tala breakin their engagement being the main reason for his connipition fit” Caleb added with a roll of his eyes. “He also hates fresh fish like yourselves, and still holds anger for the woman I be sparking choosin me over him. And thinks I have stolen her from his grasp. If that don’t beat the Dutch, he also believes I am a bad egg who brings balderdash to the community…” he claimed in irritation before exhaling sharply to calm himself. “But though Ohiyesa may be an uppity man who Peacocks about, his ability to act on his words are scarce as hen’s teeth. All he speaks is camp canard he wishes will profit in his favor. He is a blowhard who wants to be a bottle washer.”

“I…” Blaise began with narrowed brows of bewilderment. “I have no idea what the bloody hell you just said but…somehow…I think I understood it…”

“Can I get back to learning to shoot now?” Ginny requested as the Italian muddled over the words Caleb had just spoke.

“Yes, Ms. Ginny” Anoki smiled while Caleb watched in amusement as Blaise confusingly tried to decipher the slang he had used.

“Come, Blaise” the Confederate chuckled with a shake of his head. “Before you hurt yourself. I shall teach you over a bottle of pop skull.”

“What?” he breathed out in utter puzzlement as Caleb continued to chortle, tapped him on the back gently with his hand, and guided him towards the temporary tent the Confederate was to sleep in during their trip.

XX

Draco tilted his head back and forth as Hermione stared at him anxiously in the center of her tent. Her right leg began to shake uneasily while she played with the tips of her fingers as he studied her meticulously with his arms crossed in front of him; his brows were narrowed, and he had a deadly look of determination set on his face. She was growing restless by the second as his grey eyes took her in, but she bit her bottom lip as she exhaled a deep breath through her nose and continued to allow him to survey almost every inch of her.

“Do you have to stare at me like that?” she queried while her gaze shifted to the floor.

“I need to see all of you before altering a single strand. Otherwise, your hair may only match your face and body at a certain angle. I want to make sure that no matter how you or anyone else looks at you, all that is seen is flawlessness.”

“It doesn’t have to be flawless, Draco. I just want it out of my face but not too short so I can still pull it back if need be.”

“Hermione…I’m basically a serial perfectionist. Have you seen my hair…?” he questioned before realizing his blonde hair was still a mess as he chose to cut the bookworms’ first. “Well not at this moment, but you know what I mean” he claimed as she chuckled into her hand. “Can you sit still?” he demanded as he rolled his eyes and smiled softly at his witch. “Unless you want a Bob Cut, which I doubt you do” he smirked before leaning over her to place a gentle kiss upon her lips.

“Okay, okay! You’re the expert so…” she inhaled sharply, “I will…” she continued as she anxiously exhaled, “let you do your thing. Can’t live in fear, right?”

Hermione smiled up at Draco before toying with her bottom lip as he took a step back, brought out his wand, and rolled up his sleeves.

“Right…” he agreed with a tender smile. “Because it doesn’t actually protect you from anything…Now close your eyes and let me work my magic. I can easily take hair off, but it’s a lot harder to put back on” he smirked as he pointed the Hawthorne wood at her face. Casting a wordless charm, he had created back in second year to maintain his perfect appearance without the use of products, Draco began to snip and style the Gryffindors’ hair. It didn’t take him very long to obtain the desired length, the ends reaching about two inches passed her shoulders, and layering the locks into soft waves before placing her part slightly to the right. “Breathtaking…” he whispered as he conjured a round mirror and held it in front of the brunette. “Open your eyes…”

Doing as she was told, Hermione slowly cracked open her eyes and gasped in shock while clasping a hand over her mouth.

“Oh…My…You…” she stuttered with a heavy breath as he worryingly gazed at her.

“Is-is it okay?” he asked with a slight frown.

“It…it’s-it’s perfect…” she confessed as tears began to brew in her eyes and she grinned from ear to ear.

“So, you like it?” he smiled proudly.

“I love it!” she exclaimed while squealing happily before jumping into his arms and embracing him in a searing kiss. Stumbling backwards in surprise, Draco chuckled as he held Hermione close before breaking her hold on his lips and grinning as he kept his arms wrapped around her waist. “Thank you” she beamed as a giggle escaped her throat and she lifted the mirror to take another look.

“You’re welcome, Princess” he asserted as he watched her admire herself in his grasp; his own eyes rolled over the woman he had grown extremely fond of. He wanted to say it then, those three little words, but as his heart beat rapidly within his chest, fear that she didn’t feel the same encompassed him and instead he held back as he smiled down at her. “Now,” he began while clearing his throat “I think it’s time I managed the mess on my own head.”

“Okay!” she replied as she walked out of his embrace and sat down; fully enthralled at her new appearance. “I’ve never seen my hair look so good before…” she stated while lowering the mirror to her lap. However, as her thoughts started to ramble, her smile began to turn upside down.

“What’s wrong…?

“I-I just can’t help but think back on all the times I was made fun of because it was so large and unkempt…All the times you hurt my feelings by pointing that out…” she admitted as his lips fell sullenly. “I-I never knew it could be managed so easily…But…it’s not really me now, is it? As much as I love it…”

“Your hair doesn’t make you who you are, Hermione” he declared as he moved to stand behind her with a heavy sigh and placed a gentle hand upon her shoulder. “And neither do my words or anyone else’s. If you like it that much, then keep it, and start a new chapter in your life. If not…I can always change it back. I just want you happy, love, and I will do whatever it is you want.”

Hermione stared at herself for a little longer as they both sat in complete silence before opening her mouth to speak.

“I…I think I’d…like to keep it” she smiled softly while nibbling at her lips and glanced up at him as she clasped a hand over his.

“Good, I’m glad…but you should know, I like you regardless of what your hair looks like or how you choose to style it. You’re beautiful, Hermione…whether you have bushy unkempt hair or not” he claimed before kissing the top of her head and walking away to shave while her heart melted from his words.

XX

“Ugh!” Ginny groaned out as she entered the tent she was sharing with Blaise.

They had decided not to expand the shelter, since the sleeping quarters were temporary, and chose to keep it small in case any of the Natives, not aware of magic, betrayed Anoki and Caleb’s trust, and searched the bivouac. Night had fallen upon the hunting group and since it had become dark, the Natives decided to wait until morning to continue their search for larger prey as there was too little of light to see by and most of the animals were now resting.

“What’s wrong?” Blaise inquired as he lowered the book in his hands and sat up right. “Still missing your targets?”

“No, actually” she voiced in irritation as she moved to sit next to the Italian and began to remove her shoes. “I have become rather good at shooting; managed to track and sadly kill a rabbit all on my own. Anoki was quite impressed.”

“So, why the grumbling then?”

“Because that Ohiyesa bloke, is a complete and utter arse!” she complained while unholstering her wand from her thigh and placing a silencing spell around the tent before conjuring her Patronus to send to Draco. “It’s no wonder Caleb loathes him! He’s an arrogant son of a bitch, and I so desperately wish I could hex that smug look from his stupid pathetic face! He had the nerve to tell me I was weak and that the only reason Caleb and Anoki let me come on this trip was because they wished to basically get in my pants!”

“He said that?” Blaise questioned angrily.

“Well not in those exact words because obviously I’m wearing a very uncomfortable dress, but that’s basically what he indicated. The audacity of that man is unbelievable! He has no shame what-so-ever!”

“Do you want me to kick his arse?” the dark-skinned wizard asked with a raised brow and a small smirk.

“No…” she claimed while rubbing her hands across her face. “That would just make things worse…” she stated before looking to her wizard. “But I love that you are willing to do so” she smiled before returning to her task of removing her garments in order to get comfortable.

“Red, can I ask you a question? Off topic from your Ohiyesa problems…”

“You can always ask me anything, Blaise. What’s up?”

“Why were you in such a hurry when Caleb said they were ready to head out? Why didn’t you tell him to wait for a minute so you could talk to Hermione?”

“I…” she paused what she was doing and relaxed her shoulders while releasing a deep sigh. “I’m not ready to face Hermione yet. I don’t even know what I would say to her. She’s such an incredible person and…it’s-it’s hard seeing her like that. She was always the stable one and…to see her so broken, it…”

“It shattered your perception of her…” he finished for her.

“Yeah…She’s also terrifying when angered. I thought Blondie was bad, but Hermione…She would kill me if I told her what we were doing…And I just, I don’t know, I always saw her as the one to hold us all up, ya know? Don’t get me wrong, I’ve seen her many times when she was upset or angry and I would always be there for her. We would talk all night about our issues, and I will always love her but…seeing her crumble in on herself, especially so soon after she fell apart with Draco…It scares me to know that anything can change who we are as a person in a blink of an eye. To know that even the strongest can disintegrate into nothing.

“And…I mean, where does that leave me? Even Draco broke and if you really think about it, it was only days ago that we saw him give up and had to endure listening to him scream in pain as we tried to heal him. I love both of them, I do, but…we have to admit that they are the toughest of our group and if history is capable of beating them down into its hell…what’s going to happen to me or you when our time comes to be tested or-or tried? How strong can we possibly be?”

“No matter what happens to us, Red, we’ll get through it together” he replied smoothly while rubbing a hand across the Gryffindors’ back. “We’re a team, a family now. Draco and Hermione will both stop at nothing to save us like we have done for them. Yeah, it’s…it’s gonna suck, but if this is what life chooses to do in order for us to change, then we have to accept it. It’ll happen regardless if we want it to or not.”

“What if one of us doesn’t make it passed our era? We don’t even know who’s next or where we’re going? That amulet is toying with our lives and…I’m scared that I’m going to lose you…”

“Ginny, I-” Blaise began nervously as she went back to stripping down to her knickers and transfiguring her skirt into a long t-shirt. He had wanted to speak to her for a while now and tell her what was on his mind, but since she was out hunting all day, he had barely seen her since that morning. But he felt in that moment, that it was the perfect time to confess what he had been holding back as Ginny showed she trusted him with her deepest feelings. He just hoped she wouldn’t leave him once he said what he had to.

“And now we have to also deal with Ohiyesa on top of everything!” she cut in as her mind went back to what the Native had said to her. “I just can’t believe he would say something so callous!” she added while pulling the shirt over her head and removing her bra from underneath it.

“Ginny-” he tried again as his heart raced rapidly within his chest.

“Like who says that to someone? Especially someone they don’t even bloody know! If he knew what we were all going through or how weak he really is compared to me then-”

“I love you…” he stated rather quickly before she had a chance to interrupt him again. The redhead swiftly turned her attention to the Italian as her eyes widened and her breath caught in her throat. The pair stared at each other in silence for what felt like forever, until Blaise anxiously broke through the still air surrounding them. “D-d-did you hear me?” he queried, followed by a sharp rigid inhale.

“What?” she questioned in shock as her chest rose in a fast pace.

“I-I said I love you…I-I wanted to tell you after we arrived on the mountain, but I couldn’t find the right time. Not with everything going on…But I wanted t-to for quite some time and I’m not asking you to say it back or anything, I just thought you should know that I-”

“What?” she repeated, still stunned at his bold admittance.

“I-I…I shouldn’t have said it, I’m sorry, I-I don’t know what came ov-”

“Wh-wh-wh-” she breathed out, all the while never taking her eyes off of him “why? When? Why are you saying this?”

“I just told you when…And I-I can’t really explain why in words that make sense, but I do. I love you, Ginny and I…You deserve to know. It’s n-not the same love that you have for Draco or Hermione. I…It’s like I can’t breathe when I’m around you. My pulse races and my hands get all clammy whenever I look at you. I’ve liked you for a while now but a-after you kissed me in Jamestown it made me really think about my life and what I want to do with it. And then all the bullshite that occurred after that; I just think that life is too short to hold anything back anymore and if you don’t feel the same that’s alright, I just-”

“I love you…too” she confessed while interrupting his rambling.

“Y-you don’t have to-to s-say it back if you don’t feel the same…” he stated apprehensively.

“I’m not saying it because you said it first, Blaise…” she claimed as the pair stared deep into each other’s eyes.

“Y-you’re not?”

“I’m not…” she smiled while biting her lower lip.

“So, you-you love me too?” he inquired as his heart pounded in his chest.

“I love you too” she answered, causing a large grin to form across his face.

“Okay…good” he continued to smile, but an uncomfortable quiet began to engulf the tent as neither of them really knew where to go from there.

As they sat in the awkward silence for a brief moment, Blaise finally glanced away from the redhead and picked up his book to continue reading. Suddenly, the tome was thrown from his hands as Ginny pounced on him, knocking him backwards while pressing a searing kiss against his lips. She pushed him back against the ground as her hands wound around the nape of his neck and she ran her tongue over the seam of his lips as she straddled his lap. His mind raced a thousand miles per second as his witch greedily snogged him, but he was able to break through the rambling thoughts and envelop the Gryffindor in his arms; pulling her flush against his chest while he kissed her hungrily in return.

She began to grind against him, causing him to gasp against her lips as a growl escaped his throat. He then lowered his fingers roughly down to her hips and pulled her tighter as he snogged her with vigor. Her hands roamed down the column of his neck to the buttons on his shirt where she slowly started to undo each latch while trailing her lips down his chest, over his abs, and down to the apex of his thighs.

Glancing up at her wizard, who’s breath had instantly caught as he balanced the upper half of his body on his elbows, Ginny smiled at him with a wicked glint in her eye as his widen in surprise. Knowing she had his undivided attention, she lowered her head and boldly unfastened his trousers with her teeth. She then pressed a soft kiss against his stiff member before removing it from his boxers as Blaise watched in utter amazement.

Pumping her hand gently around him a few times as she slowly ran her tongue over his tip, he moaned weakly while tilting his head back slightly in excitement. Though he quickly went back to watching when the redhead rolled the top of his dick around her tongue before engulfing him, causing his eyes to roll back as he bit his lower lip to stifle a loud moan. Ginny reeled in the pleasure she was providing her man and kept looking up at him as she bobbed her head up and down, sucking him harder and taking him in deeper with each pump until he touched the back of her throat. His eyes shut tight in sheer bliss as the witch continued her momentum over his erection, but as he felt his release brewing, he swiftly reached down, grabbed the back of her hair to stop her, before yanking her up by the biceps and roughly kissing her.

While he pressed into her again, Ginny pushed his shirt from his shoulders before she found herself flipped over with her back laying against the hard ground. Blaise proceeded to kick his pants off while nipping over her collarbone as she squealed happily under him, thankful for the silencing charm she had placed earlier, before the dark-skinned wizard roughly pulled her tee from off her body. Taking a moment to admire her plump breasts, the Slytherin smiled in elation before gazing up into Ginny’s eyes.

“I love you” he breathed; however, he didn’t let her respond as he grasped a breast in each hand and took his time to suckle each peak.

Unwilling to wait, she pushed him away, causing an audible pop when he released her nipple and she shoved him onto his back before crawling up his body...dragging her tongue over the ridges of his abdomen. Before he could think of anything better than the feel of her tongue against his skin, Ginny spelled her knickers away, opened her legs a little wider, and eased onto his hardened staff, causing him to growl in satisfaction. Holding his chest down with her hands as she took control, she tossed her head back as she forced them both towards completion.

Although, Blaise was not the type of man to not show his strength and wanted to prove to her that he could take control as well. Rather than climaxing too soon, he quickly rolled his thumb over her clit as she moaned in exhilaration, driving her to cum and causing a wetness to lubricate them both. But before she could even come down from her high, he pushed her to the side and commanded her to get on all fours. Trembling in the aftermath of her orgasm, Ginny complied to his demand, thrilled someone was able to give her what she needed, but gasped in surprise as he leaned down and ran his tongue over her thighs before diving deep into her damp slit; roughly groaning in delight at the taste beneath him.

It was a new experience for her to be treated like the woman she knew she was, and she felt like she couldn’t get enough of Blaise and the pleasure he provided. But her thoughts swiftly vanished as he slowly pulled back, grabbed her hips while lining himself at her entrance, and slammed firmly into her.

Bending down, Blaise pressed a kiss on the middle of her spine as his right hand slowly worked its way up her side, pulling her back flush against his chest while he pumped into her over and over again. His left-hand then slid around to her front, rubbing over her clit while the other teased her nipple as he tried to propel her closer to a second orgasm. Continuing with the steady pace, he gently bit her pulse point as her head lulled on his shoulder and they moved in unison with hard thrusts and passionate cries.

After several minutes of heavy breathing and strong penetrating pumps, Ginny reached a hand up and wrapped it around his neck as she rocked her hips against his hand and came undone. Her delicate cry in his ear, caused his pelvis to press hard against her as he moaned while he pulled her closer to his body and released his seed deep within his witch.

Their breathing was ragged as they stayed connected, reveling in the ecstasy of their orgasm, before Ginny removed herself from the wizard and rotated her body in order to straddle his lap. Cupping his face in both her hands, she passionately kissed him as he laid her down on the blankets and had her curl up next to him.

“I love you, Blaise…” she whispered after he had pulled a quilt over them both and held her tightly in his arms.

“I love you too, Ginny” he replied with a small smile before placing a tender kiss on the top of her head and letting sleep overtake them both.

XX

“No” Draco declared stubbornly while he looked into Hermione’s pleading eyes as the sounds of men singing in call form, rattles made of box turtle shells, and woman stomping on the earth, filled the night air. “I said ‘no’, Hermione; I’m not doing it. I don’t care how much you beg, it’s not happening.”

“Please, Draco” she implored before turning back to watch the Shawnee move in a counterclockwise direction around a large bonfire with deliberate stomping steps set to the rhythm created by the women with their shell shakers. “You said you wanted to make up for entering my mind earlier and-”

“You said taking that hit was payment enough! I’m not doing it!” he argued as she wrapped her arm around his waist and gazed up at him.

“Please…” she pouted as she gave her best puppy dog eye impression.

“That won’t work on me. Red already tried and failed” he claimed as he placed his hands in his pockets, refusing to hold the witch clinging to him in order to show he was serious. But the Gryffindor continued to pucker her bottom lip as he looked away from her to avoid caving. However, he didn’t expect the brunette to stand on her tiptoes and leave lingering tender kisses along his neck and ear, causing him to inhale sharply as he did his best to ignore her. After a few moments his tolerance wore thin and he finally gave in to her tactics, removed his hands from his pockets, and pulled her flush against his chest. “Keep that up, Princess…I dare you” he growled with narrowed brows.

“What are you gonna do?” she grinned wickedly while nibbling at her bottom lip. “Duel me?” she quipped as her hands found their way under the bottom of his shirt and she lightly guided her fingers over his lower back and across his ribs.

“If it gets you to stop doing that out in the bloody open, then fine. I will join the stupid dance with you.”

“Brilliant!” she beamed while clapping her hands together and breaking the alluring charm she held over him.

She then began dragging him to a Native, who handed her shakers to place around her ankles and offered them both ‘touch medicine’, made from specific roots and plants, intended for the physical and spiritual benefit of the members of the dance at the ceremonial ground. However, Draco refused on both of their behalf’s, and in irritation, allowed his witch to pull him into the circle around the fire.

As the pair danced, even though the blonde rolled his eyes many times throughout the songs and barely moved his body while Hermione eagerly did her best to follow the others lead, Draco finally had enough and stepped out for a break. The Golden Girl continued to stomp as a small boy took the Slytherin’s place, in order to keep the male to female balance, while the Malfoy heir took a seat and rested his arm on his propped-up knee.

He watched as the wavy-haired witched laughed and couldn’t help but smile at how happy she was, though he wasn’t thrilled that the Nikanikawe was to go until dawn. The last two times he had stayed up so late was during his sixth year when he had the unfortunate task of fixing the vanishing cabinet in the Room of Requirement, and the time after that was the night before he was to board the Hogwarts Express because he feared returning to the school he had a hand in destroying. He didn’t know how his peers would react when they discovered a former Death Eater was repeating his seventh year but found comfort in knowing that no one in his shared common room blamed him any longer. No one except Weasley, that is, however, that was to be expected.

Although the redheaded git did eventually tolerate his presence, most likely due to his friends telling him to stop with his antics, Draco still felt like an outcast. It wasn’t until December that he began to feel like he belonged after Hermione had offered to buy him a Butterbeer, while out in Hogsmeade, to make up for Ron purposely spilling his drink on him. However, they didn’t really speak to each other as she vanished away the Firewhisky staining his robes, but as he thought back on the memory and when she smiled at him for the first time after he thanked her, he realized how elated he felt to experience her kindness directed at him.

“That was fun!” Hermione expressed while breathing heavily as she sat beside him and leaned back on her hands; interrupting his trailing thoughts and causing him to look over at her with a small smirk resting on his lips. “They’re taking a wee break until the next song leader is ready” she claimed before turning her gaze to him and realizing he was fondly staring at her. “Are you okay?” she inquired with a wide grin while still trying to catch her breath. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“I’m okay, I just…I was just thinking about the first time you smiled at me, is all.”

“Ah, you mean that day at the Three Broom Sticks after I watched Ron toss his drink at you and then he tried to play it off like it was an accident?” she chuckled softly.

“You remember when you first smiled at me?” he questioned with a raised brow as she crossed her outstretched legs and extended her bare toes to release the tension from the dance.

“You think I wouldn’t remember the first time you thanked me for helping you?” she giggled as she turned her attention to the children running around the bonfire playing. “You may have been a prat for most of our lives, but you didn’t deserve what Ronald did to you. He was an emotional mess for the better part of the year, until visiting his family over Christmas break where Harry told on him. His mother was furious; I thought she was about to pull his pants down and give him a right spanking then and there.”

“That is oddly an image I really didn’t want to picture…” he chortled while shaking his head.

“Yeah well, he didn’t listen to me after I yelled at him for doing what he did, so Harry took it upon himself to sneak in a way of telling Molly what he did, but making it seem like he wasn’t outright tattling on him. Ron can be a bit of an arse and would have fought with Harry if he found out he did it on purpose and defended you.”

“Why did you stick up for me? You and Potter both could have easily ignored the problem and pretended I didn’t exist like everyone else in the school. Well, except for Luna…She’s the only one, besides Pansy, Theo, and Blaise, to treat me like I was a human being…no offense.”

“None taken. I wasn’t as nice as I could have been to you. My parents always told me to be the bigger person but after the war…I don’t know, I just…I just wanted to stick by the people I knew liked me and were my friends. But after I saw what Ron did and you voluntarily thanked me when you didn’t have to, I felt that you had changed just enough that you weren’t the slimy dolt we all knew you to be. I wasn’t expecting friendship from you or anything, but…it was nice to see another side of you. Though I didn’t fully trust you, which is why we kept fighting back in China…”

“When-when did you begin to like me?” he queried nervously once he realized he was basically interrogating her for answers to make him feel better about himself.

“Umm, you’re gonna think it’s silly, but…in February…” she answered with a small blush.

“February? I could have sworn you started fancying me after snuggling up to me in that cave to help keep me warm…” he chuckled in confusion.

“Draco,” she began after inhaling a deep breath and sat up in order to play with the tips of her fingers “do you know why I allowed you to touch me in the museum or why I tried to share my body heat with you?” she asked, and when he shook his head ‘no’, she continued. “I may not have trusted you or believed you fully changed but…I knew you were the one who sent me that Valentine with the ruby necklace after I had that big fight with Ron. You didn’t sign the card or leave any trace that it was you except…I knew it was. For one, you’re the only one I know that has enough money to buy a piece of the Timber Ruby that was set in a necklace for Queen Victoria in 1853, but also the fact that your family is the only one that could convince anyone to even allow you to buy it…”

“I didn’t convince anyone…” he admitted with a slight tilt of his head. “My mother did-well tried to. She ended up duplicating the stone without any of the guards knowing so that I could give you the real one…I thought you deserved it and…it was my way of telling you how sorry I was without having to actually say it, and to thank you for helping me clean my robes back in December. Plus, Weasley was being a tosser and I didn’t think you should have had to go through Valentines’ Day without a gift.”

“He wasn’t my boyfriend anymore, Draco. And even if he was, he wasn’t going to get me a gift anyway. But that necklace isn’t what caused me to like you.”

“Well I figured that out pretty much myself when I noticed you never wore it” he scoffed while lowering his sight to his leg.

“Because it’s extremely valuable, you dumbarse!” she laughed as she playfully shoved him. “And historic! You’ve seen the shite that has happened to me in my life. You honestly believe I would have worn it just so I could lose it?” she claimed with a shake of her head. “Listen, I-I really appreciate you giving me it, but I didn’t start liking you because you secretly bought me an expensively rare gift. I started liking you and paying attention to you more because…because you went out of your way to try and cheer me up, instead of bringing me down. I don’t care about how much money you have or the reputation of your name…I care that you cared enough to make a stupid holiday mean something to me. That’s all a girl wants in life, Draco. Although, you can’t buy someone’s’ affection or gratitude, you have to earn it. In all honesty though, you could have given me just the card and I would have been just as happy.”

“I don’t do small gifts, love. If I’m going to buy you something, I’m going to go all out whether you like it or not. But…it would make me really happy if…if you wore it at least once.”

“I’ll tell you what,” she grinned while she rested her chin on his shoulder as she hugged his bicep tightly “when we return home, if you still want to be with me, you can take me to one of your fancy Balls or whatever,” she giggled lightly “and I will wear it then. Sound like a plan?”

“You, my lovely Princess, have yourself a deal” he smiled warmly while gazing happily into her eyes before placing a tender kiss upon her lips.

“You know…as much as I hate that we’re stuck in the past, jumping through different timelines, and dealing with death defying feats…I’m actually really grateful for all of it…” she stated as they both watched the dancing before them.

“Yeah? Why’s that?” he asked while snuggling closer to her and placing a hand gently over the one hugging his arm.

“Because we finally get to be ourselves and…because without the time travel, I never would have realized what I was missing in life.”

“And what, pray tell, were you missing?” he inquired slightly puzzled as she paused for a brief moment.

“You…” she claimed as she turned her eyes to gaze up at him and softly smiled.

“Are you two going to sit here all night or are you going to dance with us?” Tala cheerfully interrupted before bending over to grab the couple by their forearms and dragging them to their feet. “And no more brooding, Draco Malfoy!” she continued while lightly smacking the wizard in the chest.

“Are you sloshed?” he chuckled as he quickly reached out and steadied the Chief.

“I think it’s actually that medicine they take four times a night in order to not only stay awake but feel more connected to the ceremony” Hermione replied as Tala began to stomp her feet to the rhythm of the new dance. “My history book did say that in the native Muskogee language, the Nikanikawe, which they call Opvnkv Haco, means ‘drunken, crazy, or inspirited’. I think Tala is just feeling the exciting, yet meditative effects the event has on everyone.”

“Soooooo, in other words she’s basically plastered…or high…” he laughed as Tala began to drag the couple back to the bonfire.

“Draco,” Hermione chuckled before reaching the circle “you do know the herbs she gave you to burn while I was asleep was Skunk, right? To help ease stress and help me sleep. It’s most likely what is also in the ‘medicine’ they take.”

“Skunk?”

“Cannabis!” she shouted over the noise of the ceremony, causing Draco to stop dead in his tracks as his witch laughed aloud at his shocked face, before moving her body to the beat of the stomping.

XX

As the night passed and darkness turned to light, Ginny awoke in Blaise’s arms and smiled as she cuddled closer to him and took in his warmth. It wasn’t long until he opened his eyes and glanced down at the beautiful woman nestled against his chest, before he placed a gentle kiss on her forehead.

“Good morning, darling” he whispered as she scrunched her face and closed her eyes.

“How about just morning? There’s nothing good about waking up this early” she groaned while throwing her head back and moving to sit up.

“There is when I get to wake up to you” the Italian smirked as he placed an arm behind his head and watched the Gryffindor dress her naked body.

“You are so tawdry!” she giggled as he sat up and left a lingering peck on her bare shoulder.

“You love it” he smirked.

“I do actually” Ginny claimed while turning and kissing his lips. However, Blaise quickly pulled her into his embrace and laid back, as she squealed in excitement, and held her close as he brushed her hair gently from her face with the tips of his fingers.

“How about we just stay in here for another hour; have some fun? They don’t need to take you away from me right now” he requested amorously. “They can wait.”

“You know if I don’t go, someone’s going to come in here to make sure I’m up.”

“Ehh, let’em watch” he grinned as he pulled her chin closer to him with the side of his fingers and placed a succulent kiss upon her lips while his other hand delicately slid down her side.

Yet as soon as the red-headed witch was about to give in and say ‘yes’, the sounds of arguing could be heard outside their tent, causing the couple to gaze at each other in confusion before sitting upright when the squabbling turned into shouting. Swiftly dressing as fast as they could, Ginny emerged first from the tent to witness Caleb being held back by three Natives while Anoki, and two others, did their best to restrain Ohiyesa.

“What in the bloody hell is going on?” she demanded before rushing up to Caleb, who was bleeding from his left brow as a large reddened bruise began to form under his right eye.

“Mind your tongue, Waapa Kweewa!” Ohiyesa declared as he wiped the blood seeping down his lip with the back of his hand while Ginny looked over the Confederate to see if he was alright.

Blaise could see the fire in her eyes as her cheeks flushed a crimson red and her brows furrowed in anger. But both he and Caleb, who could also see the rage boiling within the Gryffindor’s irises, weren’t quick enough to stop her from flinging her body around, while reaching for her wand, and pointing the wood directly at the man malevolently scowling at her. Her famous Bat-Boggy hex was just about to leave her lips when a wide-eyed Blaise and a terrified Anoki, raced over to her and constrained her the best they could. She began to yell and scream at the Native as the Italian grabbed her wand from her hand and forced her to take a step back.

“I’m fine!” she yelled aggressively as she shoved her wizard off her. “I’m fine…” she repeated in a lower tone in order to convince the Slytherin to let her go.

Though as soon as the men released their grips on her, Ohiyesa muttered something so insensitive that was loud enough for all to hear.

“If I had you alone, I would do to you what those savages did to your friend. Or maybe I will just go and pay her a visit; see how she is doing” he chuckled mirthlessly. “Worthless maneto…”

But before anyone knew what was happening or could stop the witch, who forcefully pushed passed the men guarding her, she rapidly wound her right arm back and slammed her fist directly into the Natives’ nose, causing him to yell out in pain while his body flung backwards, into the arms of his friends holding him, and blood to pour down from his nostrils. She then promptly reached around his neck, pressing her middle finger into the pressure point like Draco had once showed her, compelling him to bend over, and kneeing him firmly in the stomach; forcing him to double over as the air escaped his lungs.

“Nice…” Caleb muttered under his breath as Blaise grabbed the screaming witch, kicking her feet in an effort to continue attacking the hunter.

“Get stuffed, you stupid fucking abortion!” she screamed, but her words ended up causing everyone around her to raise a brow in puzzlement as she reamed out the Indian. “I grew up with six brothers; I learned to fight in the fields, and I know how to play dirty, so bring it on! I’ll gladly teach you a thing or two about respect of human beings, you smeg cheeky little shite!” she shrieked as Anoki enforced Ohiyesa’s hunting companions to begin directing the man away from the raging Gryffindor. “I’ll kill you if you touch me or my friend! You hear me, you pathetic coward! I’ll fucking kill you!”

“Whoa! Alright Gin! Blimey, I think you made your point” Blaise announced as he tried to hold the fiery redhead back and Caleb could be heard maliciously laughing over Ginny and at Ohiyesa, who was glaring hatefully back at the redhead while holding his injuries with both hands.

“Ha!” Ginny scoffed while her chest rose and fell rapidly. “This is a right sack of shite and you know it, Blaise!” she yelled at him before looking over his shoulder and pointing a finger at the bigot Native American. “That daft, arrogant, son of a bitch, is off his trolley if he thinks he can talk to anyone like that! Threaten my friend? We’ll see who’s the last one standing if he ever tries to lay a hand on Hermione!”

“Trust me, love, he would need to get through me and Draco first, in order to get to either of you. I promise; he won’t ever get close enough…But…I have to ask…abortion though? Really?”

“I meant to say he should’ve been a stupid fucking abortion! My mind was all over the place, alright. All I saw was red; leave me alone” she huffed while crossing her arms.

“Sorry” he chuckled lightly. “I just thought it was a bit odd, is all.”

“Tala will here of his deceit” Anoki furiously interrupted as he began to pace back and forth. “This is not the first time he has caused problems within this tribe or with young Caleb here. I guarantee it will not be the last. He will not hinder you or us any longer. When this trip is over, he will be shunned from the community, for this I am sure” he claimed while halting his sauntering. “Tala does not condone violence. Perhaps when he controls his temper, we will allow him to return. You and Hermione will be able to sleep soundly until your departure. We will not let him near either of you.”

“I will stand watch until he is long gone” Caleb added through his heated scowl. “If he tries anything-”

“I cannot allow magic…” Anoki cut in, in a hushed tone as he glanced around at the men returning to their morning chores. “I am sorry, Ms. Ginny…Blaise. However, you have my word that Caleb can and will protect you. You have nothing to fear.”

“No offense, Anoki, or even you, Caleb,” Blaise stated while taking his witch tightly into his arms “but if it comes down to it, we will do whatever it takes to defend ourselves. Whether you allow magic or not.”

“I need to warn Draco” Ginny whispered into the dark-haired wizards’ ear, causing Blaise to nod his head and release his grasp so she could head back to the tent and conjure a Patronus in secret.

“I cannot stop you” the Native claimed with a small bow of his head. “But for the time being, please restrain from causing more problems. I do not wish to anger my cousin more than she already will be when she is to be advised of this situation. A meeting of the elders will be held, and his actions will be accounted for.”

“See to it that it does…” the Italian glowered. “Or the last thing that walking abortion will see, is the bright green light at the end of my wand. The Killing curse, if we’re being technical here” he declared scornfully with a scoff before walking off to check on Ginny.

The day went on as planned, with the redhead taking her anger primarily out on trees while practicing her archery, as Ohiyesa refused to return to the hunting camp, worrying everyone on his whereabouts. After the sun had set and stars shone brightly in the dark sky, the couple decided to head to bed early when Anoki announced they would be moving further North, at Dawn, in order to track larger game. Both Ginny and Blaise were too exhausted after last nights’ excursions and that mornings’ debacle and found themselves passed out as soon as their heads hit their pillows.

However, an hour before Ginny’s wand would sound a second time, so that she could send the blonde Slytherin her Patronus, Blaise abruptly awoke to a hand clasping his mouth. Startled and confused, he began to fight off his attacker before realizing the person hovering over him was Caleb and relaxed his body. The Confederates’ finger was pressed against his own lips, hushing the dark-skinned wizard, who narrowed his brows in a mixture of anger and confusion, before he looked over to Ginny, sleeping soundly.

“Wake her…quietly” he mouthed while slowly removing his hand from the Italian and looking back to the opening of the tent in concern.

Doing as he was told, Blaise gently shook Ginny, who groaned and swatted his hand away before snuggling back up to her pillow. He tried once more and thankfully he watched as she cracked open an eye and scrunched her face in annoyance.

“What?” she whined before quickly sitting upright in fear that she had missed her alarm, but hastily scrambled backwards when she noticed someone else in the tent. “What the-” she began, though her words were swiftly cut off as Caleb reached out and covered her mouth in the same manner that he had done with Blaise. Having had enough of the covert behavior, Blaise reached for his wand and placed a silencing spell around the tent while Caleb stared at him in shock.

“It’s a silencing spell” he began to clarify. “It prevents anyone from hearing us…” he added as Ginny smacked the Confederates’ hand away from her mouth.

“What the bloody hell?” she expressed irritatingly; her eyes darting back and forth between the two men.

“We have been found” Caleb explained while peeking out the entrance. “Two men, Confederates; they have found the camp. Anoki and the others have them occupied for now, but we have to leave.”

“I don’t understand…” the redhead stated perplexed as Caleb began handing the couple articles of clothing. “Why are they way out here?” she questioned while putting on her skirt under the blanket. “And why are there only two of them? They must know we out number them…”

“Oh, no…” Blaise uttered with widened eyes. “Fuck!”

“What? What is it?” Ginny inquired as she finished buttoning up her blouse and Caleb glanced to the wizard confounded.

“We have to get back to camp. Now! They’re either scouting or worse…a distraction.”

“A distraction…?” the brunette muggle queried while staring unseeingly at the ground.

“There’s absolutely no way only two Confederates would venture into a camp full of Native Americans and think they could take on the lot of them just to find us. My guess, and, Merlin, I hope I’m wrong…they’re trying to keep the hunters, who are also the strongest of the tribe, occupied.”

“Meaning the rest of the army they’re scouting for, is back at the main camp searching…” the Gryffindor stated in a morose tone, her breathing growing heavy as panic began to settle in. “Hermione…”

“We need to find a way out of here” Caleb claimed while once again peeking out of the tent entryway. “We are not too far from the rest of the Shawnee. About five miles out. If we hurry, we can make it back in an hour or two. We just need to find a way to sneak passed everyone…”

“Why not go out the back?” Blaise suggested while looking behind him at the fabric. “I can easily rip through this material and then mend it like it never happened.”

“Good, let us do so…”

As the trio snuck out the rear of the shelter, not realizing that someone was watching them from deep within the woods, Hermione sat on her cot reading her history book the night after the large celebration.

“Hermione…?” Tala called out from the other side of the entrance. “May I come in?” she questioned, causing the wavy-haired witch to glance at Draco’s empty cot and sigh before allowing the Chief access. “I do not mean to intrude” she began while stepping in and pausing for a moment as she took in the size of the bivouac. “I uh…I…This…this is amazing” she expressed in utter astonishment.

“It’s magic…” Hermione replied as she set her book down and smiled up at the Native. “How may I help you, Tala…?”

“Oh…” she chuckled before turning her attention to the brunette. “I do not mean to disturb you at such a late hour, Hermione, I saw your lantern on and felt we needed to speak. I simply wanted to inform you that Aiyana’s fever has broken. And to thank you and Draco for retrieving her medicine.”

“That’s great news! Hopefully her recovery won’t take much longer now” the Gryffindor beamed. “And it’s no bother at all. I couldn’t really fall asleep anyway. Not with Draco out.”

“We can only pray to the Great Spirit that the recovery is short” Tala smiled softly. “I believe the ceremony preformed last night helped very much. By the way, where is Draco? I wish to thank him personally. I also wanted to give you both these to give to your friends. One is for Draco as well” she stated while handing over three Dreamcatchers.

“Thank you. I’ll be sure they get them. And um, I don’t know where Draco is actually” the brunette admitted with a small shrug before tucking the items into her bag. “He said he would be back later though. He probably went out to aid one of your tribesmen with wood. I know he was asked earlier.”

“Of course. That man is always doing his best to aid us in any way he can, even when he should be asleep. We are very appreciative of him” the Chief responded pleasantly before gazing around the tent once more in wonderment.

“Was there anything else?” Hermione queried as she studied the Native American walking around the shelter.

“Actually, there is” Tala sighed while touching the rim of the metal tub in the center of the room before turning around and entwining her fingers in front of her. “I thought about what Draco had said in the woods yesterday and I feel he may be right.”

“You want to place a barrier up?”

“No,” she claimed softly. “However, I have taken it upon myself and stationed one of my best men outside of your tent. Paal does not speak much English but is strong and has been keeping an eye on you since your arrival.”

“Paal means Guardian, doesn’t it?” the Golden Girl questioned while crossing her legs under her.

“You are correct, my dear. You are as smart as Draco says” she grinned proudly. “Nevertheless, I did not want to alert you before, but after our discussion I feel it is best that you know it was Paal who caused the disturbance. I have asked him, and he has told me what he had witnessed. He claims he did see a Southerner following you but has deterred him in the wrong direction. Although, to help ease your mind, I have commanded Paal to no longer hide in the shadows and allow you to know of his whereabouts. I will also be moving the entire camp at first light. I have sent word to the hunters to let them know so that they may find us when they are finished.”

“You want to make sure the South doesn’t find us…” Hermione stated with a hint of worry embedded in her throat.

“Yes. If someone was following you, it will not be long until they track the earth and locate us. As a leader, my people come first. You and your friends are a part of my family, my tribe. I will do everything in my power to protect you all while you are still with us.”

“Thank you, Tala. You don’t know how much this means to me-to us. I am extremely grateful for everything you have done for me.”

“And I with you. You have brought back many memories of my mother and the lessons she has taught me. I am thankful for meeting you…I will let you rest now. Please let Draco know that I wish to speak with him. I am willing to wait until morning if he is wearied.”

“I’ll let him know as soon as he gets back…Good night, Tala.”

“Good night, Hermione” the Chief smiled with a slight bow of her head and exited the tent.

After about an hour of silence, Hermione continued skimming through the history book as she wondered why Draco wasn’t back yet. Finally setting the tome down, she turned around and removed the Dreamcatcher from above her cot and studied the Eagle feather she had added to the hanging string. She then thought back to when she had found it and to the conversation, she had with the Leader of the Shawnee tribe, before noticing something was off. However, it had nothing to do with the sacred talisman in her hands.

Sniffing the air in confusion, she placed the Dreamcatcher and her book in her beaded bag before standing up to investigate the strange burning-like smell. Walking across the length of the tent she studied the fabric intently until she saw dark smoke begin to seep through the material and stepped back in a jolt as it suddenly caught fire. Rushing to the opening, she stepped out in shock as Paal was nowhere to be found and screams…filled the air.


	21. Wolves of the Night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Guesses are now open! You have until Tuesday at midnight to place your month and year! 5 winners will be chosen. I do want to let you all know though that chapters might be slightly delayed as I find a way to insert the winners characters, but at the same time they might not be. This is just a heads up :)**

_“Just 'cause I predicted this, Doesn't make it any easier to live with, And what's the point of knowin' it, If you can't change it? To be human is to love, Even when it gets too much, I'm not ready to give up”_

_To Be Human- Sia Feat. Labrinth_

Chapter 21- Wolves of the Night

Friday, May 15th, 1999

Harry continued to stare at the essay in front of him, with his head resting upon his propped-up hand, as he thought about Hermione and Ginny and where they might be now. It had been days since he had a new vision and he was worried about when the next one would occur. The last place he wanted to be was in Professor McGonagall’s Transfiguration class, writing an essay he could care less about, and praying that he wasn’t sucked into Draco’s mind unexpectantly. Even though the Headmistress had given him an excuse to write his paper back in his room with Ron present to look out for him, Pansy and Luna refused to allow him to hide or fall behind and practically forced him to attend class. Luckily the Slytherin Princess sat next to him as the rest of the eighth years, including the blonde Ravenclaw, were seated at desks close by in order to keep an eye out for any signs that something might be amiss.

“Harry” Pansy whispered, pulling him from his traveling thoughts about life and causing the Gryffindor to glance over at her while he lowered his hand. “Are you alright? Do we need to leave?”

“No, I’m fine” he weakly smiled while picking up his quill and looking down at the parchment in front of him. “Just distracted.”

Pansy studied him for a moment before returning to her work while Harry sighed and went back to staring at the two sentences he had written. Unable to concentrate, he removed his gaze from the desk and began looking around the room at all the students quietly scribbling away as McGonagall silently read a book in the front of the room. However, a strange smell began to form in the air, and he scrunched his nose in disgust before looking behind him at Ron, thinking he had burnt something. But when he noticed the redhead was simply writing his half-assed essay in frustration, he glanced at Pansy who already had over half her eighteen-inch parchment completed.

“Do you smell that?” he questioned with his nose still scrunched while leaning over so that only she could hear him. The Slytherin Princess eyed him strangely before shaking her head ‘no’ as Harry went back to looking around the room. Though as soon as he turned his attention away, she quickly pulled the collar of her shirt up while bending her head down some and sniffed herself just to make sure it wasn’t her.

“Smell what, Harry?” she inquired worriedly as Ron and Theo looked up at the pair sitting in front of them.

“I…I don’t know exactly. It’s like something is burning. I smell…smoke, I think.”

“I-I don’t smell anything…” she replied while sneaking a peek at the boys behind her. However, as Harry continued his search for the source of the scent, he glanced down at his essay and jerked backward in surprise when it caught on fire.

“What the fu-” he yelled while quickly standing, causing everyone in the room to stare at him in confusion as he pulled out his wand and cast Aguamenti to put the flames out. But to his dismay, the fire refused to dissipate. “Pansy, help me put the fire out!” he shouted in a panic as she stood in bewilderment and he began to hit the desk with a tome to suppress the burning parchment.

“Stop! Harry, there’s no fire! Harry!” she argued while reaching out to halt the beating.

“Ms. Parkinson, Mr. Weasley” McGonagall began quickly while rushing over to see what all the fuss was about. “Take Mr. Potter back to your Common Room. I will be there shortly…” she ordered while gazing at the Golden Boy in alarm. “Hurry” she whispered as Pansy and Ron did their best to pull Harry away from the desk and out of the classroom. Unfortunately, as the doors began to close, and the Boy-Who-Lived watched with widened eyes at the people staring at him in concern, the entire room suddenly burst into flames…but no one moved a muscle as he screamed for them to run.

July 6th, 1863

Draco sat on a log with his head in his hands, up by the lake, as he replayed the message Ginny had sent him that morning in his mind. He couldn’t believe what he had heard about the man Caleb informed him about before they left, and worried for the safety of the red-headed witch and his best friend if Ohiyesa decided to advance on his threat. Even though he didn’t tell her about it, he knew Hermione would be fine, seeing as the hunting party was miles away and he would give his life to protect her, but what did trouble him slightly was that Ginny mentioned in her most recent Patronus that they couldn’t find the Indian anywhere.

And now the youngest Weasley was two hours late in sending the latest update and Draco was strongly considering choosing to act on his promise and track her down. The last of her communication was sent around eight at night and it was now almost two in the morning; not even the Italian had found a way to let him know if they were alright. If she didn’t contact him soon, he not only would fear the worst, but also have to inform Hermione, and together locate their friends…that is if the brunette didn’t murder him first for allowing the pair to venture through the thick trees with men they hardly knew. He swore if the couple wasn’t dead in a ditch somewhere, the yelling he gave them the day before would be nothing compared to the punishment he would bestow upon the duo when he got his hands on them.

Cursing allowed and kicking at the ground before running his fingers through his hair, Draco threw his head back before pulling out his wand from his sleeve. He was about to produce the majestic Eurasian Eagle Owl when something stopped him, and he lowered his wand in confusion. Looking around at the dark landscape, he noticed no one was in the vicinity and brushed the strange odor away; thinking it was someone back at camp deciding to start a log fire to keep warm on the chilly night. Which perplexed him slightly, that Pennsylvania’s’ hot summer months could get so cold on occasion at night. It was like being back in the Gobi Desert all over again, except not nearly as frigid. Though he would rather face the deserts fluctuating temperatures over the Ice Age or Pompeii any day.

Raising his wand once more, the magical words to produce his Patronus were about to escape his lips when the smell grew stronger…but it was nothing like the bonfire he had smelt the night before. Narrowing his brows in confusion, the blonde stood up from the log and glanced around before noticing a billowing cloud of smoke rising to the sky just over the hill where the settlement of Shawnee people, and Hermione, were located. Rushing to the edge of the incline, his heart dropped as he took in the sight of wigwams in flames while a group of twenty or so Confederate soldiers, on horses and on foot, set fire to their temporary homes and chased the Natives…who were running for their lives.

“Hermione…” he breathed out in horror; mesmerized by the dancing embers floating upwards into the night sky.

Shaking his head to remove the stunned gaze, Draco began to race down the hill as fast as his legs could carry him. He slid down the steep slope a few times as he sprinted towards the compound in an effort to find his girlfriend but managed to recover rather quickly in his pursuit. Screams could be heard filling the air as the sound of the blazing fires, throughout the encampment, roared louder the closer he got, causing Harry to cover his ears as Pansy and Ron tried their best to hold him up in the middle of the hallway. The raven-haired Gryffindor fell to the floor in dread and terror while Draco ran into the burning camp and was stopped in his tracks by a soldier on horseback.

“Harry!” Ron called out as Pansy gently leaned the Savior’s upper body against the stone wall. “Harry, can you hear me?”

“GET OUT OF HIS WAY!” he screamed as his eyes went milky white and he grabbed his hair in frustration. 

“I-I don’t understand” the Slytherin Princess declared as she watched Harry swing his arm as if he was trying to shoo someone in front of him.

“He’s supposed to be out of it, isn’t he?” Ron panicked while looking to Pansy in complete puzzlement, although she too looked just as confused as he did. “He didn’t talk the last three times he had a vision, right? Only screamed in pain when something happened to Malfoy.”

“I-I…I think his visions might be changing” she asserted before looking around as Harry continued to yell. Standing up, she quickly jogged down the hall before rushing back to the two Gryffindors on the floor. “Hurry; help me get him up. There’s an empty classroom just down the corridor where we can seal the room and place a silencing spell” she claimed before Ron put one of Harry’s arms around his neck and lifted him to his feet.

“Why can’t we just take him to Madam Pomfrey?”

“Because there may be other students in there. We can’t risk them asking questions and spreading rumors, especially if he’s talking about the ones missing” she promptly replied while helping Ron carry Harry. “It’s bad enough he started beating his essay and causing a scene in class. We don’t want to have to explain his visions away to the whole school.”

As the duo moved the Golden Boy into the empty classroom, Draco gripped his wand firmly in his hand and glared with malice at the Confederate upon the horse. The soldier smirked wickedly, as he thought the man he had stumbled upon was unarmed, while he raised his LeMat Grapeshot Revolver and pointed it directly at the blondes’ head. Cocking the lever downwards on the rear of the pistol, he was about to pull the trigger when a bright red light unexpectedly hit him in the chest and he fell off his steed, frozen unconscious on the ground.

Scowling as he lowered the Hawthorn wood, the Slytherin Prince walked up to the stunned man and picked up his weapon as the Stallion he was riding, scurried off into the woods. Not wanting to cause a large butterfly effect by showing more magic than he already had, he secured his wand back up his sleeve and clutched the revolver firmly before he tucked it into the back of his waistband and continued to search the area for his witch.

While Draco ran in the direction of the tent the bookworm was staying in, or at least he hoped was the right direction, he encountered multiple Confederates he, unfortunately, had to fight off along the way. But as he fought to get to the brunette, Hermione breathed heavily as she tried to collect everything important in the bivouac she had run back into. Taking one last look around as the shelter began to fall apart from the flames engulfing it, she coughed a few times into her arm as she searched for a way out. Realizing the exit was blocked by the deafening fire, she wrapped her beaded bag tightly around her wrist and pointed her wand at the entryway. Casting the water charm, she subdued the inferno preventing her from leaving, long enough to race out of the tent and breathe in fresher air. Though as she bent over and supported her upper body on her thighs with her hands, she remembered that she had no idea where Draco was…or even Tala.

But the screaming of men, women, and children drowned out her cries of the Malfoy heir’s name as concern filled her lungs. Running in the opposite direction of the lake, the Gryffindor Princess headed south in an effort to get out of the raging fires swallowing the village whole. On her way towards the cliff she had stood upon the previous day, Hermione halted her jogging as she witnessed Aiyana’s wigwam completely immersed in a heated blaze. While trying to decide if she should enter and risk changing history to try and save the elder, Blaise, Ginny, and Caleb continued to race through the woods.

“How…much…further?” the Italian wheezed as a stitch painfully formed just under his ribs on his right side. “We’ve been…running…” he paused as he ceased his stride and bent over to rest his hands on his thighs, gasping for sweet blessed air. “We’ve been running…for about…an hour and a half straight…” he panted heavily while glancing up at the duo jogging back to him.

“We must keep going” Caleb professed while breathing hard.

“Listen…” Blaise retorted while holding a hand up to stop the Confederate urging him to continue before standing up while wincing and grasping his side. “I…am not…a soldier. It has been…a bloody long time…since I’ve played Quidditch…or worked out. I need to take…a fucking breath.”

“Blaise, we can’t delay for long” Ginny claimed through her shallow breaths. “We have to get back to camp and warn everyone.”

“Why not just send a Patronus then?” he asked while resting his hands on his hips.

“Because if those men were a distraction, they wouldn’t be the only ones in the woods. If anyone but Caleb and Tala see us using magic, we could really screw up the timeline. Or worse, MACUSA will get wind that a bunch of muggles saw magic and come for us; then we’ll really be separated from our friends because they’ll detain us and possibly trap us here forever if they don’t believe a word we tell them!”

“Okay fine! No Patronus then…” he sighed in defeat.

“We should almost be there” the brunette muggle added while focusing in the direction they were headed. “The compound is not much further…I do not think.”

“Should? You don’t think?” the Slytherin contested with narrowed brows. “Are you saying you don’t exactly know where the camp is?”

“I know where it is! I have been following the stars. It is just hard to calculate the precise distance!”

“Whose bright idea was it again to go venturing into the woods without Hermione?” Blaise challenged while throwing his hands in the air. “It was stupid not to talk to her first or bring her and Draco with us! Now we’re lost in the fucking woods with Confederates on our bums!”

“Uhhh,” Ginny raised a finger in annoyance, “that would be me, Blaise. So, thanks for that…Dick” she scoffed while crossing her arms, clearly insulted by his words. Though she knew he didn’t mean it, and this was just Blaise, once again, freaking out more than he probably should.

“I’m sorry, darlin” he sighed while rubbing a hand over his coarse hair. “I didn’t mean it like that.”

“I know. I get it. I just-”

“Friends!” Caleb cut in in distress. “We need to hurry.”

“Okay! Alright!” the dark-haired wizard asserted before stretching his neck, cracking his back while rotating his shoulders, and began walking quickly passed the man unwilling to give him a moment’s rest. However, he quickly stopped with a raised hand and tilted his head slightly upwards while sniffing the air in confusion. “Do…do any of you smell that?” he asked while looking back at the duo behind him.

“Burning…Fire…Smoke…” Caleb replied solidly. “The camp!”

While the trio raced towards the potent smell, Pansy quickly locked the classroom door with a flick of her wrist before placing up a silencing spell as Ron set Harry on the ground in front of a long desk. The Slytherin Princess then rushed to the boys and crouched down in front of the Wizarding Savior and took his hand in hers while he continued to yell about what was happening around him.

“Can he hear us?” Ron questioned as he watched Harry squeeze the ever-loving shite out of Pansy’s hand. But the girl didn’t bat an eye or even yelp in pain as she allowed the raven-haired Gryffindor to practically break her fingers.

“I don’t think so” she replied, never taking her eyes off of Harry, who was sweating profusely with a clenched jaw. “But he’s talking, so something is either really wrong or…”

“Or what?”

“I-I don’t know. None of the books we read said anything about this. They never even mentioned that Harry would be connected to Draco!”

“No…” the redhead began while standing up straight and quickly started searching around the room before finding a slip of parchment and a quill sitting on top of the Professors’ desk. “But Rowle would know” he claimed before swiftly walking back to his friends. He then pulled out his wand and cast his Patronus in the shape of a Jack Russell Terrier, whispered a message to the canine, and sent it to Malfoy Manor. Setting the parchment on the table, he began to scribble down everything Harry was saying as Pansy, without thinking, reluctantly ripped off part of her skirt in order to wipe the beads of sweat from the Golden Boy’s forehead.

Friday, May 15th, 1999

Thorfinn laid propped up in his bed at Malfoy Manor, reading a history book he had borrowed from the library, which contained the eras he had once visited with the friend he missed more than words could say. The memories of surviving through time with Regulus cut through his heart like a razor blade against a piece of tissue paper, and when he thought back on how their struggles caused him to lose the only person in his life he could ever call a brother, forced a lump to form deep within his throat. He feared for the four trapped in the past and dreaded that one or more of them may face death similar to that of his departed friend.

Though he knew, however, that the fate of the students was left strictly in the hands of the ones who made the choices, and it was Regulus, who chose to sacrifice his life to ensure the destruction of the Slytherin Locket. Problem was, he was fully aware that the two Slytherins and the two Gryffindors would end up becoming a family when all was said and done. Each era was supposed to get harder and harder, which would cause them to want to work together, and it worried him that it was possible, not all of them, if any, would return home. A Slytherin might kill for the ones they love, but a Gryffindor would give their life…and Hermione Granger and Ginevra Weasley had a knack for wanting to do whatever they could to help others in need. If they were getting as close as he believed they were, it was only a matter of time before one of them did something thoroughly stupid.

Nevertheless, he couldn’t exactly remove Draco and Blaise from the sacrificial picture either. The boys were stubborn, possessive, and extremely protective. The proof alone was shown in Gettysburg and it scared him to know that one of the Slytherins might take things a little too far. They both may be cunning and willing to fight for each other and for the girls, but all it would take was for one of them to overthink, or not think at all, and die while defending their friends…

But as Thorfinn muddled over the thoughts about those imprisoned in time, a brilliant white light began to fill his room, causing him to look towards his window in puzzlement. A small breed, he couldn’t really identify as he usually stayed away from pets and the people who owned them, began running around the room as the former Death Eater sat up straight, and stopped just below his feet. The dog sat down upon the plush mattress and stared at him for a few seconds before its mouth opened and Ronald Weasley’s voice emerged from the canines’ lips. 

The message was short but the panic in the redheads’ voice nearly caused Rowle to trip over his own feet when he attempted to rush out of the room. Running down the halls as fast as he could, while portraits on the walls yelled at him to slow down, he burst through the Library doors expecting it to be empty, but instead found the room full of all the adults staying at Malfoy Manor, staring at him as if he was interrupting a meeting he wasn’t invited to.

“Oh, shite!” he expressed in shock. “Sorry, I was not anticipating you all to be here.”

“What’s wrong?” Elizabeth questioned as she watched Thorfinn march over to the fireplace and grabbed a handful of floo powder.

“Is this fireplace still connected to Minerva’s office?” he asked rather quickly.

“What is going on, Rowle?” Molly pressed while Thorfinn sighed and ran his free hand through his blonde hair. “Talk to us…”

“I just received a Patronus from your son, that Potter is having another vision…” he answered impatiently.

“What?” Robert exclaimed in shock. “Is he alright?”

“As far as I know, he’s fine. The message didn’t give much in the department of details, but apparently…” he trailed off as the adults looked at one another in concern.

“Apparently…?” Arthur urged. “Apparently what, Rowle?”

“His visions are changing. He isn’t passed out like normal…He’s talking-”

“Talking?” Narcissa interrupted as she took a step forward with a hand clasped against her chest.

“That’s all I was told…Listen I-I have to get to Hogwarts while this vision is still ongoing. I have to document it…”

“I’ll go with you” the former Slytherin Queen stated as she walked past Thorfinn and stood in the hearth, waiting for him. However, when he looked back at her curiously, she relaxed her shoulders and crossed her hands neatly in front of her. “You can’t just waltz around Hogwarts alone, Thorfinn. You’ll terrify the students; some might even hold you at wand point. At least if you have someone with you, you’ll seem less threatening. And too many of us going will draw suspicion. So, I’m going, and I don’t want to hear any argument about it. Molly can watch over the Manor…I trust her…”

“Your home is in good hands” Molly uttered with a small nod of her head. “But…please, Narcissa…take care of my boys…” the red-headed mother weakly stated as Arthur wrapped his arms around her.

“They will always be safe with me…Now let’s go, Rowle. We don’t know how long Harry will see what is happening in the past.”

It wasn’t long until Thorfinn and Narcissa arrived at Hogwarts, causing every student, not in class, to stop what they were doing and stare in utter fear and confusion as the duo exited the Headmistress’s office. The pair began to march towards the room Ron had told them they would be in while whispers filled the corridor. Though they ignored the indistinct mutters and turned the corner to see Professor McGonagall with Theo, Neville, and Luna trailing quickly behind her.

“Minerva?” Narcissa called out as the duo jogged up to the group that had stopped for them. “Did you get Ronald’s Patronus as well?” she queried while everyone continued to hastily walk towards the Common Room.

“Patronus? Is that why you’re here?” McGonagall inquired as students in the hall scattered at the presence of the former Death Eater. “We did not get a Patronus. Mr. Potter began to have a vision in my class. Ms. Parkinson and Mr. Weasley were instructed to take him to their Common Room.”

“Wait!” Thorfinn exclaimed while halting his stride. “They aren’t in there. Weasley said they were in a classroom. They didn’t make it back to the dorms.”

“Did he say which one?” the Professor asked while gazing over her spectacles.

“No, sorry.”

“What classes are not in session right now?” Narcissa asked while Luna brought out her wand and performed a locator charm as everyone watched in anticipation.

Once the Ravenclaws’ wand stopped spinning in her hand, the six rushed to the classroom door that Pansy had spelled to keep everyone out. The Headmistress quickly took down the wards and entered the room just in time to witness Harry hugging his knees while rocking back and forth and mumbling something under his breath.

July 6th, 1863

“Aiyana!” Hermione shouted while holding her arms up to shield her face from the raging fire engulfing the wigwam she had just stepped inside of. “Aiyana! Aiyana, can you hear me?” she yelled once more but had to quickly sidestep a piece of fiery wood that came crashing down from the ceiling of the shelter before seeing a body lying on the ground, coughing and moaning. “Aiyana!” she cried out while rushing over to the old woman. “You’re okay! I’m gonna get you out of here!” she claimed while on her knees, hunched over the Elder to protect her from falling debris and to assess her injuries.

The Native’s clothing was scorched and there were clear signs of second- and third-degree burns lining her fragile skin, but the Gryffindor refused to allow the woman to be in any more pain than she already was. Pointing her wand at the Elder, she went to begin healing the deep cuts and wounds when a hand grabbed her wrist to stop her.

“No…” Aiyana coughed as a trail of blood seeped out the side of her mouth, causing Hermione to glance at her in sorrow.

“Please…Let me help you…” she began to weep while stroking the grey hair on top of the Indians’ head. “I can heal you. I-I can’t explain how o-or why but I can. Let me heal you…please…”

“I know…what you are” she coughed more as the fire around them continued to rage uncontrollably. “Caleb…and T-Tala…are not the only ones…who have met s-someone…as remark-remarkable as-as you…”

“Aiyana, we need to get out of here, we need to remedy these burns. Let me at least take the pain away for now, and then we can get you some help” the brunette pleaded as a tear trickled down her cheek.

“Oh…little one” Aiyana weakly smiled as she removed her hand from Hermione’s wrist and cupped the witch’s face tenderly. “My time has come. I am ready…the Great…” she wheezed through her shallow breaths, “the Great Spirit…she calls to me.”

“No!” the bookworm stated determinedly before moving to try and lift the Elder by her shoulders to sit her up.

“Please…?” Aiyana implored, causing the witch to stop and look her in the eyes sullenly. “Bidziil…he-he be waiting for m-me…”

“Well he can wait a little longer then!” she strongly stated while trying to hold back the sadness swallowing her whole.

“It is not…your time…little one…You m-must go…”

“I’m not leaving you here…I-I can’t” Hermione affirmed mournfully as her jaw quivered dejectedly and tears fell freely from her brown eyes. “Please don’t make me leave you here…”

“Tell our story…so his-history…can…live…”

“Aiyana…?” the brunettes’ lips trembled as the Elder Native American’s eyes began to close.

“…on…” she breathed out as her hand relaxed and slid down Hermione’s face while her chest failed to rise again, causing the Gryffindor Princess to tilt her head as she shut her eyes tightly. The bookworm then began to sob over the woman while the sounds of the fire roared throughout the land.

After a few brief moments that felt more like multiple painstaking hours, Hermione finally stood up and covered the Elder with a singed quilt. Wiping her nose and the tears from her ash-covered face, she took one last look at the woman before making her way out of the disintegrating wigwam. As she exited the smokey shelter, Blaise, Ginny, and Caleb finally arrived at the camp with widened eyes. Ginny quickly put her hands over her mouth to try and suppress her shock of the devastation in front of them as Blaise stumbled backward, completely stunned.

The scene reminded the red-headed witch so much of the Quidditch World Cup when Death Eaters invaded Mr. Roberts’s campsite, tortured muggles and Muggle-borns, and destroyed everything in their paths. But what pained her the most, was how much the scene reminded her of Hogwarts as it was being ripped apart by Voldemort and his followers.

“I have to find Tala…” Caleb uttered, pulling the Gryffindor from her stupor before he began to rush off, but Ginny immediately reached out and stopped him.

“You can’t go in there!” she exclaimed in horror as a few Confederate whooped and shot their pistols in the air, resulting in people screaming in terror and the trio to instinctively cover their heads as they ducked.

“Get off of me, Ginny!” the brunette muggle demanded as they stood back up and he tried to rip his arm from her grasp without hurting her.

“No! I can’t let you go in there!”

“I have to find my love! I cannot just stand here!”

“Please, don’t go…” the redhead beseeched with tears brewing in her eyes.

“Ginny…” Caleb began softly while relaxing his shoulders slightly before noticing Blaise had finally shaken away his daze and walked up to the girl clinging to Caleb’s arm. 

“Ginny…” Blaise asserted gently while touching one of her shoulders and walking around so she could see him. “You have to let him go…We can’t change history; not now, not after everything…”

“He’ll die…” she claimed in a soft whimper.

“We don’t know that. He’s not even in the history book…”

“He’ll die in there” she repeated with a trembling lip. “And I won’t be able to find him…”

It was in that moment, while searching her delicate eyes and seeing the desperation drowning her features, that Blaise understood what his witch was actually referring to.

“He’s not Fred, Ginny…” he declared as gently as he could as Caleb raised a brow and parted his lips slightly. “He’s not Fred.”

“Who is Fred?” the muggle inquired sullenly, realizing the man had to be someone very close to the woman adhered to his bicep.

“Fred is…was…one of her brothers that was killed during the battle of our school…” the Italian answered flatly, all the while never taking his eyes off of Ginny’s water-filled ones.

“That war you told me about over a bottle of pop skull, which you did not fight in? The Battle of Hogwarts?”

“Yeah…”

Sighing softly in sympathy, Caleb looked to Ginny as screams continued to rent the air and cupped her cheek, forcing her to turn her gaze to his.

“Listen to my words, little lion. No matter what happens to me…know that you will always be able to find me,” he stated fondly before removing a coin he had somehow fashioned into a necklace from his person, and placed it around her neck, “in here. Just like your brother. We will never leave you, no matter what era you may be in…” he claimed caringly before reaching back up to cup her cheek and remove a stray tear that had fallen from her lashes with his thumb. “But I have to try and find Tala and you…you be havin to find your friends. Stay strong little lion. You will never be alone, and I will always be rememberin you” he finished while he pressed a delicate kiss upon her forehead before he slowly stepped away from her and out of her loosened grasp.

“We have to go, Gin…” Blaise claimed sullenly after Caleb had disappeared into the mass of black smoke, took her hand, and began to lead her through the fiery chaos to find both Draco and Hermione.

As the couple scoured the campground for their friends, a large explosion from a Union-issued Ketchum Grenade, which the Confederates had most likely stolen during the Battle of Gettysburg, detonated around them, resulting in Blaise losing his grip on Ginny, Hermione to cry out while running in the opposite direction, and Draco to trip and scratch his head on a small rock not far from where the twosome had been. However, in the recesses of Draco’s mind, Harry screamed while covering his head with his hands as if the blast was actually happening around him; startling everyone so badly that Ron almost fell off the bench he had just sat down on, while a deep cut formed on Harry’s forehead.

Natives ran in all different directions, directly after the blast, that forced the pair to lose sight of each other as Indians pushed them back and away from the ongoing fight. Though when a few soldiers rushed to where the grenade had gone off, Ginny fell backward as women and children screamed in terror and brute Natives blocked her in order to defend their land and their tribe.

Scrambling to her feet, the red-headed Gryffindor ran in the opposite direction of the men battling one another and tried to find a different route to find Blaise. While running aimlessly through the burning bivouacs and wigwams as she panicked in the heat, Draco had finally reached the tent Hermione was supposed to be in.

“Ho-ly Salazar…!” he exclaimed in amazement when he saw the tent had become one giant bonfire. “HERMIONE!” he shouted while watching the fabric burn into nothing and ignoring the searing pain just under his hairline. “HERMIONE!” he tried again while rotating his body around in an effort to find her; praying to anyone that would listen that she wasn’t still in the shelter.

“Where is she?” Harry sobbed while his chest rose and fell rapidly.

“Who, Harry?” Luna requested as she rushed up to Pansy and Ron and knelt beside the Slytherin witch.

“He can’t hear us…” Ron confessed as he watched the beads of sweat continue to drip down the Saviors’ temples, into the wound, and wetting his hair as his skin turned deathly pale.

“You have to find her, Draco…Please find her…”

“What has he said so far?” Thorfinn questioned as he walked up to Ron and looked down at the notes he had taken. “Weasley, Gods dammit, you really need to learn to not write in chicken scratch” he commanded in irritation while crumpling the parchment in his hands and throwing it on the floor.

“He mentioned ‘fire’ a few times” Pansy cut in as Luna began tending to the gash bleeding heavily down Harry’s face. “A-and someone named Tala…maybe that’s who he wants Draco to find…?”

“Tala is Native American, isn’t it?” Narcissa inquired as she looked to Thorfinn and McGonagall for confirmation. “Did they settle with a tribe after what happened with Hermione?”

“It’s quite possible” McGonagall stated while Neville observed Theo, in case he couldn’t handle watching Harry go through another vision. “There were many Indians who helped fight in the American Civil War., but most tribes were forced out West in the seventeen hundred’s…Perhaps…perhaps there was one that stayed in hiding?”

“With the way things seem to be going with this damn amulet,” Thorfinn added, “I wouldn’t doubt that for once second. But with their luck, the tribe they landed with…Wait a second…Did you say Tala?” he asked Pansy who seemed slightly confused.

“Yeah…No last name, but he said the name ‘Tala’ very clearly at least two or three times” she answered as Thorfinn twisted his tongue and shook his head with a small chuckle. “What? You know her?”

“Oh, I know her…I met her…in 1859 when she was to become the next elected Chief of a Shawnee tribe after her father fell ill during their travels up North. Caleb had met the group just before he cared for mine and Regulus’s wounds after we tried to save a man from being beaten on the streets, without magic. He had informed them of where to go in order to be safe. Said something about an Underground Railroad in Chambersburg that some African American woman mentioned to him earlier that same year. I thought they would have been found before then and marched out West. I had no idea they could hide so well and for that long without some sort of magic.”

“So, the ancestor they’re with is named Caleb?” Narcissa queried.

Everyone knew they couldn’t do anything to help Harry while he was in the vision and instead decided to gain more information from the blonde who suspiciously had more knowledge about the past than he had originally let on.

“Yes…” he sighed heavily, “and Tala is the woman he intended to marry one day.”

“Find her!” Harry shouted, compelling everyone to look to him in worry as he squeezed Pansy’s hand harder, triggering her to finally wince ever so slightly.

“Who exactly is this Caleb bloke?” Theo asked as he removed his woeful gaze from Harry.

“A…” Thorfinn sighed heavily, hesitant to say anything after knowing the information would cause the group to panic unnecessarily. “He was a good man” he stated decisively. “When we met him, he was only nineteen and willing to help everyone he came in contact with. Had a memory of an elephant, that one. We taught him to read and write better than he was; even improve how he spoke. He saved a lot of lives and was a charming young lad…”

“What are you not telling us, Rowle?” Theo requested mistrustfully as he crossed his arms and stared at the former Death Eater. “You’re mentioning all the good he’s done but…you’re hiding something…aren’t you? I know you are.” Thorfinn pressed his tongue against the inside of his cheek as he exhaled a deep breath and slightly bobbed his upper body back and forth.

“I…” he began nervously as Harry continued to sweat and rock his body. “After we were transported to the next era…I did a bit of digging. Wasn’t easy considering we were in France 1944…in Oradour-sur-Glane. One of the women we had saved from the slaughter was the ancestor we had to find. She had no family left except a cousin in America she never talked to, and a brother who was a scientist that was drafted to work on the Manhattan Project after a colleague in England told some guy named Oppenheimer about his research with Uranium.

“Her brother researched Caleb for us, which I’m assuming in family tomes because he’s not in any history book that I know of. Anyway, after Margret technically lied and told him in a letter that he had saved my grandfathers’ life during the Civil War and that I wanted to thank the family for his efforts, he had written her back with all the information he could find. Though I guess it wasn’t a full lie considering Regulus and I were the ones he had saved…she just didn’t know that-”

“Hermione?” Harry interrupted once more, forcing everyone to again look to him in concern as Thorfinn breathed a small sigh of relief, grateful for the disruption.

“BLAISE!” Ginny shouted over the loudness of the pandemonium, causing Draco to whip his body around while thinking the woman yelling was Hermione.

“Red?” he expressed in a mixture of shock and confusion. “Red, what are you doing here?” he called out while jogging up to her, stunning her for a moment as he grabbed her shoulder, turned her around, and looked her over for any injuries. “What are you doing here?” he demanded in a firmer voice. “You shouldn’t be here! Where’s Blaise?”

“Oh, Gods…Draco…” she exclaimed as fresh tears began to fall from her eyes.

“Ginny, where is Blaise?” he requested once more.

“I-I-I lost him” she sobbed as a few people violently pushed passed them and the air began to grow thick, making it harder to breathe in the dense smoke. “I lost him!” she wept after he had righted her when a woman had shoved her roughly in her shoulder in an effort to escape the angry fires and madmen running about.

“What do you mean ‘you lost him’? Why are you even back here? You’re supposed to be miles away from here!” Draco yelled over the noise before grabbing the Gryffindor by the bicep, refusing to allow her to answer him, and began to drag her away from the destruction.

Once they made it out into the woods where yellows, oranges, and reds lit up the tree line as shouting, screaming, and cries of pain suffocated the atmosphere, the blonde halted their stride and whipped his body around as tears streamed down Ginny’s face. “Why are you back here? Did you see Hermione?” he questioned, but the redhead was in too much shock to answer him and stared at the fire rising through the tall trees. “Ginny!” he bellowed while quickly turning her face to his by grasping her jaw in his hand, snapping her out of her trance as his stormy grey iris’s pleaded with her to tell him where the rest of their group was.

“I lost him…I-I-I-” she began to stutter before he placed his fingers under her soot-covered chin and forced her to look at him.

“Breathe, Ginny…talk to me. Tell me what happened…” he implored as his eyes began to water in fear that something bad had befallen Blaise.

“T-two Confederates found our camp…B-Blaise said they were pr-probably a distraction so Caleb…Caleb got us out of there and we r-ran a-all the way back here to find every-everything on fire…”

“Wha-what happened t-to Blaise, Ginny…?” he asked anxiously, causing her to tense her shoulders as she tried not to break down again.

“I don’t know” she began to sob. “An explosion went off and we got separated…I lost him, Draco…I lost him…”

“Okay, okay…” the Slytherin expressed while exhaling a sigh of relief that his best friend might still be alive. But as the Gryffindor started to cry harder, Draco swiftly pulled her into his arms and held her close while doing his best to not fall apart himself. Glancing back at the camp burning to the ground, the only thoughts that filled the blondes’ mind was finding his Italian friend and the woman he had promised…to always protect. Loosening his hold on the witch, he cupped her face with a single hand as he exhaled a deep breath. “I need you to stay here while I go back in there…”

“No!” she shouted while gripping his wrist tightly. “You can’t abandon me too! Blaise left me; Caleb left me…Fred left me…I-I can’t lose you too…”

“Red…I-I’m not abandoning you, but I can’t leave Hermione and Blaise in there. And what about Tala?”

“Please don’t leave me too…” she wept softly, forcing Draco to choose between walking away…and staying behind, while Harry began to wail uncontrollably into Pansy’s’ chest as she held him close.

But while the duo in the woods discussed the best way to move forward, Hermione continued to search for Draco in the anarchy that was once a peaceful encampment. She was about to round the corner of a large wigwam, thankfully not engulfed in a deathly blaze, when she heard arguing between a man and a woman, whose voice she recognized all too well. However, the pair that was quarreling were fighting in a different language and she couldn’t understand a word of it. Taking a chance, she quickly preformed the language charm and peeked around the shelter to see Tala with a man she didn’t recognize, though he appeared to be a part of the tribe.

“You will come with me!” the male Native demanded as he towered over the Chief, although, Tala seemed unfazed by the brute trying to intimidate her. “That white man is a savage and does not deserve you! Your father chose me to be your husband and you will abide by the rule he gave during his final breath!”

“You do not frighten me, Ohiyesa! I am Chief now! I will be the one to choose who I wish to marry and who is to lead at my side! I love Caleb and until he returns, I will do everything I can to ensure as many of my people survive this slaughter! Now if you are not going to help me get everyone to safety then leave!” she ordered before trying to turn away so she could return to aiding her small village screaming for help.

“Our people!” Ohiyesa claimed crossly while he gripped Tala by the bicep and prevented her from walking away. “I will not have you marry that worthless, uncivilized, barbarian! It is bad enough he brought those animals into our tribe and onto our land! He is not deserving of your love!” Ohiyesa scowled menacingly as Hermione scoffed angrily. “You should have rid them the moment they stumbled upon us…”

“Oh, and you are worthy of my love…?” she ridiculed with a small chuckle. “If you harm my friends in any way…” she glowered as her hands tighten into fists and she glared up at the man holding her hostage. “I promise you; you will not live to see another day.”

Shocked by the Chiefs’ threat, as she was known to be extremely placid and not condone violence, Hermione was about to step out from her hiding spot to help the woman when a Confederate on horseback, shot a teen boy directly in the back as he was running towards the witch, provoking terror in the Gryffindor and Tala. As the boy fell face-first into the dirt ridden ground, the brunette bookworm gasped in horror while Tala tried to break free from Ohiyesa’s grasp in an effort to get to the unmoving child.

But once the Native American Chief finally broke the hunters’ hold on her and the Confederate laughed before racing off, the Gryffindor Princess watched as everything began to move in slow motion. While Tala rushed to the fallen boy and fell to her knees as she reached out to pull him into her arms and tears fell from her copper-brown eyes, Ohiyesa slowly pulled a dagger from his deerskin belt and stepped up behind the raven-haired leader.

“If I cannot have you…then no one can…” he muttered, but Tala didn’t hear it through her mourning…however, Hermione did.

“NO!” the brunette witch cried out while removing herself from behind the wigwam with an outstretched hand, but she was far too late and Ohiyesa…was far too fast. In one quick effortless motion, the brute hunter reached around the sobbing Chief and ripped his knife cleanly across the front of her neck, spilling crimson blood down her chest and onto the sacred dirt.

Pulling out her wand, Hermione swiftly threw the Diffindo charm at Ohiyesa, slicing his shoulder, and forcing a loud agonizing scream to emit from the Natives’ throat as he gripped his arm tightly and dropped the knife in his hand. The brunette was about to throw another hex when the hunter glanced up at her with widened eyes, and quickly scrambled away, leaving a trail of blood in his wake. She was strongly thinking of chasing after him, but the dying Tala drew her from her pursuit and instead rushed over to the stunned Chief.

Hermione quickly caught the raven-haired muggle, before she could fall to the ground, and held her tightly in her arms while pointing her wand at the wound, trying her best to heal it…but she was too late. Glancing up at the woman’s face, the Gryffindor Princess sat on her knees in absolute shock as Tala stared up at the smokey starry night sky…with lifeless eyes. She didn’t blink, she didn’t breathe, she didn’t even choke out a word of encouragement as she bled out onto the bookworm who was too startled to move.

“Hermione?” Caleb called out from behind the brunette when he noticed the Golden Girl kneeling on the earth and two pairs of legs stretched out to the left side of her. “Hermione?” he repeated while steadily walking up to her. After noticing the boy lying face-first in the dirt, the wavy-haired muggle raced over to check on him before looking up and seeing the one thing he had prayed to never see ever in his life.

Too scared to say anything, Hermione continued to gaze down at Tala in her arms while tears began to fall from her lashes. Caleb, in a daze, hesitantly reached out in order to take the love of his life from the Gryffindor witch, but Hermione refused to give her up and clung tighter to the Chief while pushing the Confederate away. “Hermione, please…Please give her to me…” he begged as he began to weep, and his bottom lip quivered violently. “Please…” But all she could do was shake her head ‘no’ and cling harder to the body in her grasp.

At that moment, Blaise stumbled upon the mournful scene and paused while jolting backwards after seeing the death in front of him. Realizing who the pair on the ground was, he timidly took a step forward with a partially outstretched hand as his breath grew heavy and the wigwam behind Hermione, caught fire.

“What the fuck happened?” he yelled over the searing flares lighting up the night sky as he rushed over to the duo before observing the person lying lifeless in his friends’ sobbing embrace. “Her-Hermione?” he asserted while flicking his gaze from off of Tala and up to the bookworm wailing as her body rocked back and forth. Kneeling down to her level, he gently moved the boy in front of her out of the way before turning to Caleb, who was barely holding his own emotions together. “Caleb…” he softly muttered, “we-we have to get out of here…We-we have to leave…”

“Please give her to me…” he cried, refusing to look to the Italian as he continued to plead with the brunette Princess. “Hermione, please…I’m begging you…”

“Hermione…give him Tala…” Blaise requested while turning his sight back to the girl he called family. “Give her to him so we can get out of here.”

“No!” she shouted while still rocking the Native. “I’m not leaving her behind!”

“Okay,” he stated with raised hands. “Okay, Buttercup…” he calmly claimed as he looked her over without touching her and caught sight of all the blood staining her blouse; unknowing if all of it came from just Tala or if his friend was injured as well. “Talk to me…Tell me what happened? Where’s Draco?” he questioned, hoping the mention of her boyfriend would pull her out of her trance.

“He never came back…” she wept but refused to meet his eyes.

“Alright, Buttercup…Can you tell me what happened a-and why you won’t give Tala up?”

“He-he came out of nowhere…” she mumbled softly as her tears maintained a steady flow.

“Who, Hermione? Who came out of nowhere?”

“I-I don’t know who he was…” she stated while shaking her head intensely.

“Was…was he a-a Con-Confederate?” Caleb inquired through his own weeping when he realized what the dark-skinned wizard was trying to accomplish. He would do just about anything in that moment if it meant Hermione would give him his deceased bride, and he didn’t want to hurt or even startle the witch, who would most likely turn on him in an instant if he tried to rip his love from her grasp. But Hermione simply shook her head ‘no’ and he threw his head back in disappointment and defeat.

“Was he part of the tribe?” Blaise added, causing the Gryffindor to nod her head, however, she still refused to look at either of the men crouched near her while Caleb snapped his attention back to the witch.

“Th-they were arguing in-in Shaw-Shawnee” she continued through her heartbreaking sobs. “I-I used the language charm to-to understand and…”

“And what, Buttercup?”

“And then that boy was shhhhhhshot, and Ta-Ta-Ta-Tala went to check on-on him…”

“Okay” the Italian stated as he glanced at the boy with a bullet in his spine before looking back to Hermione brushing the bloody black hair from Tala’s face. “Then what? What happened with the man, Hermione?”

“He said…If-if he couldn’t ha-have her…Nnnnnnno one could…And then he sliced her throat open” she continued while pointing to her own throat with a relaxed hand, “like she meant nothing! I-I tried to heal her. I tried…but…” She tensed her shoulders and opened her mouth as a silent sob attempted to escape her lips before finally looking up at Blaise with reddened watery eyes.

Her bottom lip trembled as she momentarily stared at the Slytherin and thought about how she could no longer take it anymore. All she wanted to do was go home. She was tired of the death constantly occurring and she was sick of feeling like she could do nothing to relieve the pressure of sadness that weighed heavily on her every day. She just wanted it to all be over and she realized in that moment…she couldn’t do it on her own anymore.

As her eyes connected with Blaise’s, she suddenly felt a wave of understanding wash over her. Flicking her unseeing sight down to the ground, before looking to Tala in her arms, Hermione’s breath halted for a few short seconds as the noise surrounding her suddenly went quiet. While fresh tears began to fall once more, she looked back up to her friend in desperation and a ragged breath before saying the words she never thought she would ever need to say.

“P-p-please…” she pleaded as Blaise’s face softened in a mixture of shock and confusion and his own eyes began to water. “Please help me…”

“Hermione…” he stated gently with sorrow dripping from his voice, realizing the amount of pain the Gryffindor was in.

“Please…” she implored despairingly. “I can’t…I can’t let her go…I-I need you…Please help me…”

“Okay…” he nodded as Caleb practically began to hyperventilate. “Okay, I…I need to be able to touch you…alright? Is-is that okay?” he questioned in worry, fearful that she might freak out if anyone other than Draco touched her. However, Hermione nodded her head in compliance while she looked back down at Tala.

Slowly reaching out, Blaise steadily lifted the Native American from the bookworms’ grasp as Hermione inattentively stared at the ground slightly off to her right. Gently handing the Chief to her former love, Caleb began to sob uncontrollably as he took her from the dark-haired wizard and cradled her in a tender embrace. Blaise then turned back to Hermione and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into a tight hug as she unwillingly cried into his shoulder.

As the three knelt on the hard earth and grief filled their lungs, Draco was trying to convince Ginny to allow him to go back into the camp to find their friends. But as he softened his shoulders and ran both hands through his hair in frustration, a bright green light lit up the darkened woods, leading the pair to look off into the distance and gasp in surprise as the prominent square, they wished would have come earlier, glowed brilliantly. However, the clock didn’t show five minutes as it did twice before and instead held the roman numeral for the number ten.

“Did…Did Hermione…But…That’s-that’s not right…” Ginny claimed while wiping at her face and staring hard at the numbers counting down. “Why is it giving us more time?”

“We-we’re not all here…” Draco muttered rather quietly before looking back at the burning village. “I think it’s because we’re separated…”

“How do you know that?”

“I don’t. It’s just an observation” he claimed, still torn between protecting Ginny and saving Blaise and Hermione. And thanks to his grating familial bond, his heart was being pulled in both directions.

If he left Ginny behind, because she was in too much shock to actually help him, then something bad could happen to her. However, if he brought her with him, then she might not only hinder his ability to save their friends, but they might also lose the position of the square if they got lost in the confusion of the chaos. But while Draco contemplated one of the hardest decisions he had ever had to make as explosions, that didn’t sound like grenades, echoed in the air, Blaise released his hold on Hermione when he noticed a green glow light up his face.

Behind the Gryffindor witch sat her notorious beaded bag, gleaming brightly in the fiery moonlight, making him conclude that the brunette, wiping at her face before him, had finally completed her trial. Yet the Italian didn’t have a chance to even open his mouth and tell her as the sounds of shouting men pulled them both from their despair.

“NO! NO, NO, NO!” Caleb yelled as he tried to hold on to Tala for dear life while a group of male Natives pulled him away in a rage, apparently assuming that Caleb had killed their Chief with the evidence of the bloody silver dagger laying at his side.

“Stop!” Hermione shrieked as she began to crawl towards the muggle, who was kicking and screaming as he attempted to fight those holding him back. “Stop, he didn’t do it!” she called out as she finally made it to her feet and Blaise watched in horror. “Let him go! Stop!”

“Hermione, no!” the dark-skinned wizard expressed while shaking every thought running through his mind; realizing that if he didn’t protect Hermione from the men who could cause her harm for interfering, then he would never forgive himself and Draco…would have his head on a spike. He had to keep her safe and if that meant letting Caleb be taken away, then so be it. “No!” he yelled while he scrambled to his feet, grabbed the bookworm by the waist, and hoisted her up and away from Caleb, who was still doing everything in his power to fight off the Natives.

As much as it pained him to see one of the ancestors of the amulet in so much heartache and turmoil, Blaise couldn’t risk changing the past either. But there was something about the way Hermione was screaming as she tried to escape his strong grasp, and the way Caleb desperately pleaded to get back to Tala, that caused him to have second thoughts about helping.

“Hermione! Stop fighting me!” he shouted over the duos screams and hopeless struggles while whipping the witch around so she couldn’t see the Natives pin the Confederate to the ground with his hands behind his back, crying out for his deceased lover through agonizing tears.

“We have to help him!” she howled while Blaise did everything he could to hold her back.

“We can’t! I’m sorry, darlin…but we can’t…” he declared sullenly, though he wasn’t fully sure if he actually meant it or not.

But as the words left his lips, the witch suddenly stopped fighting against him and looked up into his defeated chocolate irises with a quivering lip. Her shortened wavy brown hair clung to her wet face and her lips puckered as she tried to hold in her emotions, however, her eyes began to appeal to his better nature, and he threw his head back in frustration.

“Please…Blaise…” she begged somberly through a ragged breath. “Please help him…”

Licking his lips as he tilted his head, divided on the choices he had to make, Blaise inhaled a deep breath, pulled out his wand from his pocket, and turned around just in time to see an angry Native pull out a knife while the rest of the tribesmen lifted Caleb to his knees and grabbed his hair in order to give the man better access to the muggles’ throat.

“I did not do it…” the brunette Confederate wept through his heavy breaths and tear covered face. “Please, Paal…I did not kill her…” but Paal either couldn’t understand the desolated plea…or he just didn’t care and took a step forward while flipping the knife in his hand so that the blade now pointed upwards to the smoke-filled sky.

Shielding the Gryffindor behind him, Blaise exhaled sharply before raising his wand and wordlessly threw a Bombarda at Paal’s feet, throwing him backward, before effortlessly flicking his wrist and hurling the same charm behind the men holding Caleb. He then began Stupefying the rest running around in terror, believing Confederates were throwing more bombshells at them, and causing both Hermione and Caleb’s eyes to widen in shock.

The three of them froze as the Slytherin double-checked to ensure everyone was unconscious while the bookworm stayed hidden behind him. After lowering his wand, Hermione tore her bewildered gaze away from Blaise only to find a mixture of fear and astonishment etched across Caleb’s face. But she didn’t have time to make sure he was okay due to the fire in the wigwam next to them growing dangerously larger and gripped the Italians’ bicep hard when she remembered what the shelter contained.

“Run…” she whispered while Blaise slightly winced from the nails digging into his arm. “RUN!” she screamed, startling Caleb enough to pull him from his trance before he scrambled to his feet and stumbled into a run. Hermione then grabbed Blaise’s wand from his hand as she had dropped hers in order to hold Tala and produced a shield charm while simultaneously pulling him to the ground as the Wigwam exploded from the gunpowder set inside.

“What the bloody fuck!” he shouted after the blast had settled and scrambled to his feet in complete confusion.

“That was their weapons depository” the brunette claimed while slowly standing up.

“Since when the fuck did Indians carry gunpowder?” he yelled in shock before turning around to help the Gryffindor.

“They most likely collected it in case they ever needed it. It can be used for other things besides guns, you know-Ow…” she claimed while holding the upper part of her right arm.

“What? What’s wrong? Are you hurt?” he inquired slightly panicked.

“I’m fine, I just…I just landed on a rock when we fell. I’ll be okay.”

“No, once we find Red and Draco, you’re going to let me take a look at that and heal it, okay? I don’t want to hear any argument about it.”

“Alright…” she shrugged. “Here…I’m sorry for taking it from you.” Handing him back his wand, Hermione walked over to where her own wand laid, while trying her best to not look at the dead by her feet. Picking it up before reaching for her beaded bag she abruptly began noticing the glow emitting from it. “H-how long has this been glowing?”

“Since I let go of you…” Blaise replied while looking around at the village that was now almost completely silent, except for the sounds of whimpers and flames that still burned throughout. “Buttercup, we need to find Draco and Ginny. We can’t leave without them…” At that moment, before Hermione could even reach in her bag and pull out the amulet or even look to Blaise, a blinding silver Eagle Owl soared through the mass of black smoke before landing on top of a large boulder not too far from them.

“Is-is that-” Blaise started to question but was quickly cut off by Hermione’s excited gasp.

“Draco’s Patronus…” she beamed while tugging happily on the Italians’ sleeve.

“Salazar, it’s…it’s beautiful…”

“We have to follow it!” she expressed as the large bird flapped its heavy wings and began to fly deeper into the woods and away from the fallen camp that held little to no survivors.

“There’s only eight minutes left, Draco!” Ginny exclaimed in worry. “What if they’re not alive and-and-and we-we have to go alone?” she panicked, causing the blonde Slytherin to grab her shoulders in an effort to calm the scared redhead.

“Red! You have to stop thinking like that!” he demanded firmly. “They aren’t dead, you hear me! They’ll come…” he claimed with a shaky voice.

“Are you trying to convince me or yourself?” she argued.

“I don’t know!” he yelled in a mixture of dread and heartache. “I…I-I don’t know” he repeated in a softer tone while releasing his grip and running his fingers through his soot-filled hair while his eyes began to water. “I can’t lose her, Ginny…I can’t. She’s the best thing that has ever happened to me…I’m not ready to let her go…” he admitted as a tear fell down the arch of his cheek and splashed into the dirt below, causing Ginny to soften her shoulders before pulling him into a hug and Harry to realize the relationship between his best friend and the man he once called an enemy.

“I’m sorry, Draco” she cried as she held him tightly and listened to the sounds of him doing his best to reign in his sorrow. “I didn’t mean to say that. She’ll make it through this, she always does…” she asserted while pulling back and allowing him to wipe his nose on the back of his sleeve. “They both will…” she claimed while silently praying to anyone who would listen, that Blaise was alright as she tried not to think about her fallen brother and the same fate that could befall their friends.

“Draco?” a voice called out from the distance, pulling the pair from the sullenness surrounding them as the blonde quickly pulled out the gun in the back of his waistband and fearfully pointed it in the direction of the sound. “Draco!” Hermione exhaled sharply while running as fast as she could towards her wizard with Blaise directly on her heels.

“Oh Gods, Hermione!” he breathed out in relief while lowering the weapon and racing towards his witch as his Patronus dissipated into the air. Rushing into his welcoming hold, Hermione wrapped her arms around Draco’s neck as he dropped the gun, picked her up, twirled her around, and hugged her as if his life depended on it. “Fuck!” he expressed as he gently set her down and cupped her face before kissing her hard. “I thought I lost you. Gods, Hermione, I thought I lost you” he confessed while running his thumbs across her skin and leaning his forehead against hers. And even though Harry was ecstatic that his friend was alright, he could have gone without the feeling of kissing her…but that didn’t stop him from being thrilled to be able to feel her strong embrace around him.

Draco then pulled her into another hug, preventing her from replying, while Ginny kissed Blaise all over his face in delight. Finally allowing the Gryffindor Princess to breathe, Draco stepped back and smiled before his happiness turned to concern as he eyed the blood covering the front of his witch’s blouse and skirt.

“It-it’s not mine…” she stated while he stared at her in shock and worry.

“Then whose blood is it?” he questioned in alarm, though never taking his eyes off the obscene amount of red covering the bookworm. “Whose blood is that, Hermione?” he asked again, making Blaise and Ginny break their snogging session and gaze at the couple, but Hermione couldn’t find the right words to tell him what happened.

“It’s Tala’s” Blaise proclaimed through the thick silence that filled the air, causing Draco to snap his attention to the Italian behind him and Ginny’s eyes to widen in bewilderment. “…She’s dead” he declared gently while sadly looking to Hermione.

“What?” Ginny whimpered while shaking her head. “No…No, she can’t be…”

“I tried to save her…” Hermione stated while staring unseeingly at the ground. “I tried…but I was too late…”

“We don’t have a lot of time to explain right now but…I think it was Ohiyesa. I think he followed us back to camp and-”

“What about Caleb?” Draco finally managed to say through his dismay.

“He’s alive…” Hermione answered as she wiped the palm of her hand across her left cheek, smearing the cinders on her skin.

“Can-can we please read the clue and get out of here before discussing everything?” he queried while holding back the tears wishing to fall from his lashes. “I really just want to leave this era…”

Ginny took a step forward, out of her Slytherin’s embrace, and was about to reach for Hermione’s bag when she remembered the mental state her friend was previously in; unaware that her best friend was no longer in the same mindset she once was. Not wanting to risk anything as the timer in the square read four minutes, Draco noticed her hesitation and reached for the glowing bag himself. Pulling out the amulet, he began unfolding the paper while Thorfinn paced back and forth in the classroom as Harry’s sobs finally subsided.

“Tell us about Caleb” Neville demanded as the former Death Eater still hadn’t answered Theo’s question.

“What did he do?” McGonagall questioned with a hint of worry dripping from her voice.

“He didn’t do anything…He…He was a…”

“Just spit it out, Rowle” Theo asserted in annoyance.

“He was a Confederate…” he finally admitted as a tidal wave of gasps filled the room.

“No!” Ron argued as he stood up in surprise. “You’re lying! He can’t be one of those sick bastards that attacked ‘Mione!”

“He didn’t have a choice!” Thorfinn contended. “He was practically forced to join that side, but he had helped many people escape the South in doing so. He was an extremely peaceful person and he-” he continued but was quickly caught off by the soft mumbling of the Golden Boy.

Pansy sat the Savior upright as he began to talk louder, but his words were still unintelligible. However, he suddenly straightened his body while taking a large breath before slumping forward and speaking loud and clear for all to hear.

“A time of death...for those without shame...the Canonical Five...a Ripper once claimed.”

Everyone except for Thorfinn, who knew Harry was repeating a clue, stared in bewilderment as the Boy-Who-Lived fell forward into Pansy’s arms, while the four in the past groaned in annoyance.

“Ahhhh come on!” Blaise yelled while punching and kicking the air in frustration. “Fuck it!” he claimed once he stopped his flailing temper tantrum, took Ginny by the hand, and stepped into the square, followed swiftly and reluctantly, by Draco and Hermione.


	22. Cold Soul

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **AN- We had a total of 4 winners YAY! 2 who guessed correctly, Changsterfan on FF and DistinctlyMe on AO3, and 2 who were just one month off, FoxesRun on FF and Willapa on AO3! Unfortunately, Foxes has not returned my email and I have no way to contact Chang, so regrettably I will not be able to place a character for them. However, thank you to everyone who participated and congratulations those who won! I am only going to do this game one more time in the next era for certain reasons, but we have to first get through this one! So, you will have have another chance to play in 5 to 6 chapters!**

_“Where's your gavel? Your jury?, What's my offense this time?, You're not a judge, but if you're gonna judge me, Well, sentence me to another life” -Ignorance- Paramore_

Chapter 22- Cold Soul

Harry gasped loudly and quickly sat upright while everyone in the room stared at him with widened eyes. He glanced around at all the faces while the gash on his forehead began to heal before looking to Pansy, whose mouth was opening and closing rapidly in confusion.

“There was a fire…” he claimed with a heavy breath before looking to the people standing around him.

“Harry…” Pansy began gently while slowly reaching out to touch his shoulder, startling him for a second and causing her to recoil rather quickly.

“Sorry, I just…there was a fire…”

“We know…” she replied softly before reaching out once more in support.

“What?” he raised a brow as Luna vanished the remaining blood on his cheek. “How? Did you see it?”

“No, Harry…” Ron stated while rubbing the back of his neck anxiously. “You were talking…during your vision…We heard almost everything…”

“I was talking? But…I didn’t speak before…Did I?”

“No” Narcissa answered while taking a seat on the edge of a bench; still in shock that the ancestor her son was with, was a Confederate, someone far too similar to a Death Eater.

“What’s wrong?” Harry questioned when he noticed the sadness filling the room. “Everyone’s okay, they found each other and made it out of the woods.”

“Woods?” Thorfinn expressed in puzzlement. “I thought everyone was in Chambersburg…”

“I don’t know anything about Chambersburg. They were in the middle of the woods, that I think was on a mountain, before they were suddenly attacked. I think it was a camp.”

“Maybe they were moving away from town” Luna pipped. “I mean, if you think about it, they had to be somewhere close enough to be able to walk or apparate from Gettysburg.”

“They can’t apparate” Rowle declared with a sigh while placing his hands in his pockets. “It’s part of the amulet, I guess you could say. Apparating would mean they could, and most likely would, avoid their trials, which is the whole reason that stupid pendant is throwing them through time in the first place. If they try to leave via magic, they’ll just end up back in the same place they started at.”

“Wouldn’t it have been better for them to just leave and land back in Gettysburg?” Theo inquired while running his fingers through his dark brown hair. “I mean, I read that that fight only lasted three days and with what Potter had described before, it seems like they landed on the second day of battle.”

“Possibly, but possibly not. Whatever spells Osiris used are unpredictable yet very powerful. For all anyone knows, they try to apparate and end up back in the camp. And if they try to evade being ‘tested’ an invisible wall prevents them from leaving. The amulet will only allow them to go where they’re supposed to, which means that if they tried to leave the camp to go somewhere safer, the magic in the amulet would stop them. They can’t escape even if they wanted to. There’s no tricking it.”

“Okay” McGonagall cut in with a raised hand, clearly wanting to get back to the topic of the ancestor before finding out what had happened to the camp; seeing as the group found each other and made it out alive, her concern laid with the man who could have easily placed a target on her students backs’ in the first place. “Before we continue, because we have much to discuss, you mentioned Caleb was a Confederate-”

“Who?” Harry queried in confusion as his eyes darted around the group.

“Caleb was the ancestor of that era” Ron answered while crossing his arms and looking to Thorfinn angrily. “And he apparently was also a part of the Confederate Army.”

“And like me,” the former Death Eater argued, “and let’s include other Slytherins as well in this, Parkinson, Knott, the Malfoy’s, Zabini…Just because you’re part of a group that has done wrong, does not mean you’re evil too. Yes, Caleb was on the wrong side but even the North had its issues as well-and he was not a bad guy. He saved hundreds of lives in the eighteen hundred’s and aided that tribe the best he could. He taught others to read and write and I guarantee he did the same with the Shawnees.”

“If you know so much about him then what happened to him?” Pansy requested while moving to stand. “Why did you have to have the ancestor in France write a letter to her brother and why is he not found in any history book?”

“I have no idea” he shrugged. “Honestly, I don’t. He could have changed his last name like his family had done many times before or perished in that fire…and like the men who attacked Granger, and probably the men who rebelled and attacked the Shawnee, the army could have easily written him from existence. All I know is the limited information Margaret’s brother was able to obtain.”

“He didn’t die in the fire…Mione claimed he was alive before they left…” the raven-haired wizard stated.

“Okay, so we know he lived. What about this Tala woman then?” Narcissa asked once realizing they wouldn’t gain any more intel on Caleb.

“Oh, Merlin…” Harry expressed while removing his glasses and wiping his hand down his face as the Slytherin Princess grew more concerned about not only the Boy-Who-Lived, but those stuck in the past. “Tala…she-she didn’t make it…”

“No” Thorfinn stated regrettably with a tilt of his head. “No…H-how? How d-did she…” he began to ask but couldn’t bring himself to finish his question as grief began to fill his heart.

“Mione said her throat was slit by someone in her own tribe…Blaise said the name of the person he thought it was, but I can’t remember it. He then said they had to leave before discussing anything further…Did-did you know her…?” Thorfinn nodded his head as he took a seat and ran his fingers through his hair.

“Caleb was so enamored by her” he claimed sullenly. “Wouldn’t stop talking about her practically the entire time we were there. She was the sweetest woman I have ever met; always knew the right words to say and…Salazar, she was an amazing human being…I can’t believe that’s how she left this world; to be betrayed by one of your own. Do-do you at least remember what the name started with?”

“O…I think. Ohi-something” he replied as Thorfinn pressed his tongue against the inside of his cheek and chuckled in anger. “You know, don’t you?”

“Ohiyesa” he responded while throwing his head back. “That fucking stubborn arse. I never did like him. He was infatuated with Tala and was all too thrilled when her father named him her future husband. And I guarantee the infatuation wasn’t because he actually fancied her. He was a megalomaniac and loathed Caleb because he was considered an ‘outsider’ who could take away his only chance at becoming a leader. If they didn’t marry and Tala chose Caleb instead…he probably killed her so he could blame the bloke and convince everyone to elect him. He was a sadistic son of a bitch.”

“I’m…I’m sorry” the Gryffindor Prince proclaimed dejectedly.

“My apologies” Neville cut in. “I don’t mean to be a pain and I really am sorry for your…loss, but can we please talk about that rhyme thing Harry spoke before ‘waking up’ from that vision? It made no sense, didn’t fit with anything he saw, and you…you didn’t seem phased by it in the slightest.”

“It was a clue…” the former Death Eater stated as a matter of fact.

“I did hear Blaise say something about reading the next clue,” Harry admitted as both Ron and Pansy helped him to his feet, “but I didn’t know what he meant by it. Then Draco pulled out a slip of parchment with writing on it.”

“I told you all before,” Rowle claimed while sitting up straight, “your friends will receive a clue as to where they will land next.”

“Okay so, what was the rhyme thing again?” Theo questioned while looking at Harry.

“A time of death...for those without shame...the Canonical Five...a Ripper once claimed” Luna chirped, still sitting on the floor with her hands clasped in front of her. “One of the most controversial events in Victorian England.”

“Victorian England?” Theo scoffed while crossing his arms. “Where everyone wore strange attire and that large clock was cast and installed into that Clock Tower, or Elizabeth Tower, whatever you wanna call it.”

“Big Ben,” the Ravenclaw corrected, “and yes, Victorian England was famous for many things, but the year our friends most likely landed in is by far the most prominent of that time period. There’s a reason the clue mentioned the Canonical Five…”

“And what year is that, Luna?” Harry queried gently as the adults in the room held their breaths, hoping they were all wrong and the petite blonde would say any other year than the one they were all thinking. Unfortunately, the clue was straight to the point and left no indication that they were mistaken.

“1888” she beamed as Narcissa, McGonagall, and Thorfinn shut their eyes and lowered their heads in disappointment.

“I’m not following” Ron claimed as he glanced at Theo, who simply shrugged his shoulders before looking to Harry and Neville, who also appeared lost. “What happened in 1888?”

“Jack the Ripper…” Pansy answered solemnly, causing brows to raise from the boys as deep exhales of regret could be heard from the adults. “An infamous, notorious delinquent, who prayed on prostitutes, murdered them in a sadistic manner, left hundreds, if not thousands, of letters for the police, the first serial killer to ever create a worldwide media frenzy, and…”

“And?” the raven-haired Gryffindor questioned as his heart began to beat rapidly within his chest.

“And…he-he was never captured” she concluded in a low voice. “No one knows who he was. No one believes ‘Jack’ was even his real name.”

“You have got to be joking!” Ron yelled in anger. “So, you’re telling me that the four of them have to outrun a fucking psychopath that, to this damn day, has never been found!”

“Language, Mr. Weasley!” Professor McGonagall reprimanded, making the redhead scowl and cross his arms.

“I think language went out the window a long time ago, Professor. You know, when everything sort of went to shite. Where my best friend and my sister are being thrown through, Merlin knows how many eras, with two fucking Slytherins that used to be our rivals…”

“Be that as it may, Mr. Weasley, but I will remind you that if you continue speaking such foul words, you'll be spending a week helping Professor Slughorn clean the first-year cauldrons by hand. Am I making myself clear?” Ron grumbled under his breath as he rolled his eyes, but nodded his head, knowing that if he went against the Headmistress, his punishment may be much worse than just cleaning cauldrons. “Now, Ms. Parkinson, Ms. Lovegood, can you please tell everyone a little more about Jack the Ripper, so that the ones who do not know, may have a little bit more information.”

“I’m going to notify Molly and Elizabeth” Narcissa declared while inhaling a deep breath. “They’ll want an update…However…I don’t know how well Molly is going to take the news of the next era. Honestly, I don’t even know how Ronald is taking the news so well…”

“You call his reaction just now, ‘taking it well’?” Harry questioned while pinching his lips inward.

“Wait, whadda mean?” the red-headed Gryffindor pressed while holding up a hand and gazing at the elder witch in confusion.

“Well…I mean…I uh…I…”

“It’s obvious, isn’t it?” Luna intruded when the Malfoy mother couldn’t find the right words to express what she needed to say. “It’s like Pansy said,” she claimed as she looked around the room at all the eyes that had landed on her, “Jack the Ripper only prayed on prostitutes...”

“Luna, don’t” Pansy whispered, making Harry eye her strangely, but it was apparent the blonde Ravenclaw didn’t hear her.

“Draco and Hermione already had their trials,” she continued sweetly, “and Blaise isn’t exactly the murderers’ type…” she shrugged. “Victorian England is meant for Ginny…”

“WHAT!” Both Ron and Harry shouted at the same time, startling everyone in the room as Pansy ruefully played with the tips of her fingers; terrified for the Gryffindor Harry used to call a girlfriend.

“And there’s the freak out” Narcissa exclaimed with a pointed finger while folding her lips in as the boys stared at Luna in absolute horror.

September of 1888

Blaise stumbled as he arrived in the middle of a dark scarcely lit cobblestone street. Albeit, he barely had time to right himself before he felt a hand grab the rear of his blackened shirt and pull him abruptly backward as a horse-drawn carriage barreled down the road. Hermione quickly dragged the Italian into an alley and pressed her back against the stone wall as Blaise hunched over to catch his breath. He then stood up and gazed at the brunette with stern eyes and raised a hand in annoyance.

“Stop…saving…my life!” he protested as she lifted her puzzled eyes to his and gripped her arm where blood was seeping through the fabric of her blouse. “I told you before, Buttercup, I can only sacrifice myself so many times to repay you; and every time I do, it ends up hurting me…physically. I can only take so much!” But Hermione just stared at him as her face paled and her breathing became irregular. “Buttercup…? Hermione?”

“I-I don’t…I don’t feel so well…” she uttered in an almost whisper. “I-I think I tore the cut in my arm…more…when-when I reached out for you.”

Rushing over to the bookworm, Blaise quickly ripped the sleeve of her blouse in order to view the injury she had received on her upper bicep from her fall. As soon as he released the pressure against the wound, the small cut that had only trickled slightly when he had first glanced at it not too long ago, was now a long gash with a steady stream of blood seeping down her skin.

“Salazar, Hermione! Why did you use this arm to grab me?” he questioned while hastily bringing out his wand and pointing it at the wound as she shrugged her shoulders.

“Honestly…I have no idea” she chuckled slightly. “I didn’t really think about it. I saw the horse coming straight at you and I panicked.”

“Okay well…you didn’t lose too much blood; just enough to make you dizzy. Listen, I appreciate you saving me, darling, but next time…use an arm that’s not injured” he smiled warmly before lowering the Ivy and Runespoor Fang wood. “Here, take a seat” he stated while helping lower her to the ground. “Once we find Draco and Ginny…again, we can find you something to eat to help raise your blood sugar.”

In that moment the blonde Slytherin and the red-headed Gryffindor rounded the corner and breathed sighs of relief when they spotted the pair on the ground, but Draco instantly hurried his stride when he noticed how pale his witch was. He had practically pushed Blaise out of the way in order to get to her and when he bent down and cupped Hermione’s cheek, he looked her over diligently before glancing to his friend and aggressively asking him what had happened.

“Please don’t get upset with him” Hermione requested while taking her wizards’ hand in hers. “He just healed my arm after I fell on a rock earlier” she claimed before glancing up at the blood dripping down the Malfoy heirs’ forehead. “Speaking of which…” she tilted her head while giving Draco a knowing look, “Blaise, can you please take care of Draco’s head wound? I feel it is making him a little too protective” she giggled slightly as Ginny’s heart sunk into the pit of her stomach. It was the first time in a few days that she had heard her best friend laugh, even if it was minor, but she didn’t know how to proceed on speaking to Hermione. So, instead of checking on her friend, she kept her distance, and watched as Draco raised a brow at his witch and smirked lightly before scoffing quietly and shaking his head.

“I can never be too protective of you” he chuckled before kissing the top of her head and standing up to allow Blaise to look him over. As the dark-skinned wizard began to heal the blonde Prince, Hermione gazed up at Ginny, who was playing with the tips of her fingers as she stared at her feet anxiously.

Hermione could see the sadness in her demeanor and the hesitation in her eyes; it made her feel horrible that her best friend no longer knew how to talk to her anymore. Not that she blamed her in the slightest, if the roles were reversed, she too would feel uncertain about facing her.

“Ginny…?” she began softly, pulling the Gryffindors’ attention to her, along with the two Slytherins’, who were now carefully observing the girls.

Ginny licked her lips as Hermione began to stand, with the help of the brick wall behind her, and took a step back, fearful that the woman she admired would flip out if she stood too close like she had in the tent after Draco had rescued her.

“Ginny…” Hermione began again while taking a step forward. “Ginny, I…I’m okay. Please-please don’t back away from me.”

Tears began to brew in the redheads’ eyes as her bottom lip trembled, and Blaise and Draco could do nothing to ease the sadness in the woman. The only person who could do that was Hermione; unfortunately, Ginny was reluctant to allow the brunette to get near her and thought strongly about just running away.

“Red…” Draco cut in gently, forcing Ginny to gaze at him as he stood behind Hermione with his hands resting on her shoulders. “She misses you just as much as you miss her. I promise you…she’s okay. She never left you…she never will.” The red-headed witch winced as she tried to hold back her sobs and tilted her head to meet her shoulder while pinching her lips together.

“Mione…” she whimpered before the Golden Girl began steadily walking towards her. Meeting her halfway, Ginny hugged her best friend tightly while fresh tears began to trickle down her freckled cheeks. She never wanted to let her go and was overjoyed to have the witch she knew, the witch she had basically grown up with, back to normal. “I’m so sorry” she cried while holding the brunette as both boys smiled proudly at the women. “I’m sorry…”

“Why are you sorry? Gin…” Hermione proclaimed while pulling back and looking at her friend in the eyes, never taking her hands off her shoulders as she smiled ever so softly, and a tear fell from her lashes. “You did nothing wrong and I don’t ever want you to think that you did. I was lost in my own head. I didn’t even want Draco in that moment, not really. What happened to me was no ones’ fault. And shutting you out…You should never apologize for what I chose to do. If anyone should be asking for forgiveness right now, it’s me, and…Ginny, I am so sorry for doing that to you” she admitted while wiping drops of salty water from Ginny’s face with her thumbs. “I’m sorry for pushing you away and I’m sorry for, for not coming to you. I won’t ever shut you out again, I promise.”

“I love you, Mione. I just wanted t-to help you.”

“I know you did” she sniffled. “I love you too, Ginny. You’re my best friend, my sister. I will always love you even when it seems like I don’t.”

The girls hugged once more and as they did, Draco’s lips slowly fell to a frown as he thought about the three little words the women in front of him were saying to one another so easily. It was as if saying they loved each other was effortless, and to hear them confess their emotions, something he had always struggled with in life, made him rethink everything he had ever learned. Expressing his feelings was not a matter that came easy for him; he couldn’t even remember if he had ever told his own mother that he loved her and it made him wonder why he couldn’t just admit to even himself, that he was capable of that specific emotion.

Perhaps it was due to his upbringing or possibly the Dark Lord himself during that lunatic’s reign, or maybe…it was because of the one person, he had tried so hard and for so long to convince that he was good enough to love. Maybe the only person he could blame for his fears of expressing any sort of adoration directly to a person, and into words they could clearly understand…was his father. The same man who was locked away in Azkaban for not only the horrible crimes he had committed, but for throwing his own son into the madness in an effort to make up for his failures.

Lucius Malfoy had never truly shown that he cared for his family. Sure, when the timing called for it, he would act the part of a doting father, but that was the problem, wasn’t it? He was just simply pretending in order to save himself. Behaving selfishly so he could remain on Voldemort’s good side…if that man even had a good side. But Lucius had never told Draco or even his mother for that matter, that he loved them. If he did tell Narcissa, it was behind closed doors where Draco never heard it, and the man had practically forbidden his mother from ever telling her son she loved him as well. Perhaps the reason Draco Malfoy, heir to the Malfoy throne, and the selfish Prince of Slytherin, couldn’t tell either of the girls his true feelings to their faces, was because he didn’t know how.

But he also couldn’t decide if it was strictly due to not knowing how or if fear of being rejected and belittled was holding him back as well. All he could picture when he thought about saying it was everyone laughing at him like they all did when he was transfigured into a ferret. The images of Hermione, Ginny, and Blaise wiping away tears as they held their stomachs and pointed at him while laughing hysterically, wouldn’t leave his mind. If Draco had feared anything more than his father, it was being embarrassed in front of, and by, the girl he desperately wanted to be with forever.

“Are you okay, mate?” Blaise inquired with a raised brow as he lightly tapped the blondes’ back, interrupting Draco’s wandering thoughts while the girls began talking about Hermione’s new haircut.

“No, Blaise…I am most certainly not okay…” he sighed sullenly while placing his hands in his pockets and scoffing delicately through his nose before looking to his friend, “and I don’t know if I ever will be…But…as long as they’re alright,” he pointed to the Gryffindors with his jaw, who were chatting away with smiles on their faces, “then that’s all that matters to me.”

“Alright,” he replied, not wanting to press the tall blonde as it was not the right time. “Soooooo…Wanna tell me about the gun then?”

“What gun?”

“Ummm, the one you pointed at Buttercup and me before tossing it to the ground when you picked Hermione up…Do you even know how to use one?”

“Yes…No…I don’t know. I sort of just observed people who have used them throughout the eras. But pointing it at you was more of a scare tactic than me actually wanting to shoot someone. I didn’t even know it was you when I held it up.”

“Okay well…can you never point one at me again? Especially if you don’t know how to fucking use it. Thanks.”

“Sorry…Trust me though, I will do my best to never hold one again. They’re heavy, bulky, and quite frankly unpredictable. Personally, I don’t see all the hype muggles have over them. Wands are much easier to handle and control.”

“So, are we really where I think we are?” Ginny cut in as she and Hermione walked up to the boys.

“Ugh, I knew this was coming” Blaise complained while throwing his head back. “I was really hoping to avoid this conversation and not have to deal with a serial killer known for prowling the streets of London like it was his playground just to murder a few women who wouldn’t give him attention because his self-confidence is so low, which also caused him to want the medias soul focus on him just to raise his self-esteem so he sent stupid illiterate letters to prove he was ‘worth’ something…!” he rambled while breathing heavily as everyone eyed him in confusion. “What that clue really should have said was ‘this is folklore, beware if you’re a common whore or at late night you may find me knocking on your door’!” he whined. “Why here? Why fucking now?”

“Did…Did you learn the whole ‘not breathing’ thing when speaking, from Red?” Draco questioned with his arms crossed and his brow raised. “Cause you both seem to like getting as much information out as possible in one breath, which sounds a lot like what muggles do in their music sometimes. Don’t get me wrong, it’s definitely a skill, I think, but utterly infuriating to comprehend.”

“Well, at least we’re not in a war zone” Hermione declared lightheartedly, but as soon as the words left her lips, lightning cracked across the sky, causing everyone to look up. It was then quickly followed by a fierce sound of thunder before suddenly large droplets began to fall from the darkened clouds.

Blaise sighed while closing his eyes in frustration and lowered his head in order to glare at the bookworm in frustration.

“Really?” he irritatingly claimed.

“I was trying to be optimistic” she replied as the rain began to drench the foursome.

“Yeah well, you failed” the Italian scoffed before crossing his arms across his now wet chest. “Can we find somewhere to stay for the night now? Or did you all wanna set up camp in this dark, dirty, sewage smelling alleyway during a thunderstorm with a killer on the loose?” he queried sarcastically.

“Hold on, I get how Mione and I know about Jack the Ripper, but how the hell do you know so much about him?” Ginny questioned with her hands on her hips, unfazed by the rain soaking her hair and clothing. However, Draco noticed how the water caused the blood covering the bookworm to seep through her garments and quickly scourgified the red liquid away as Ginny awaited an answer from Blaise. “Well…?”

“Red, I have traveled the world, remember? I believe I may know more about things than you think. Plus, that bloke is famous, even in the Wizarding World. Anyone who doesn’t know about him simply wasn’t told the stories. I mean, think about it, did you know anything about him until you learned about him in Muggle Studies?”

“Well…no, but-”

“But nothing, Gin” the Italian disputed. “Just because I didn’t take that class doesn’t mean I didn’t learn about him in my travels. After all, the murders happened in Whitechapel; not too far from where Diagon Alley is located.”

“Okay, well I think this discussion would be better somewhere, I don’t know, heated and dry…” Draco declared while pulling Hermione into his arms in an attempt to keep her warm. “Maybe we can find a hotel, or motel, or whatever, where we can stay the night and then in the morning, we can go to Diagon Alley and get away from all this. I don’t mind paying for a room or two if it means a warm bed.”

“Why, because you finally have more money then you started this whole journey with?” the red-headed witch smirked while crossing her arms.

“Would you rather sleep out here, Red?” the Slytherin Prince contended playfully. “Because I can make that happen.”

“I don’t very much like your tone…”

“Oh, I’m sorry, did you want me to say it more nicely?”

“I would greatly appreciate it, yes.”

“Okay…Red…”

“Yes, Blondie?”

“My dear sweet, innocent, young Ginny…”

“Yes…?” she grinned as the rain continued to pelt their skin.

“Fuck you, I’m going to find shelter from this storm” he chuckled before guiding Hermione down the alleyway towards the street, who was also snickering under her breath, grateful for the brief distraction from the death that surrounded them.

“Rude…”

“I don’t know about you, darlin, but I’m going to follow them” Blaise stated. “I hate rain almost as much as I hate the cold” he admitted as her shoulders relaxed and a frown formed upon her face as he began to walk off.

“But…you live in England…It’s always raining in some type of way.”

“Which is why I hate it” he stated as he turned around and walked backwards in order to speak to her. “So, are you coming or not? Because I would very much like to warm myself in your embrace…if you catch my meaning.”

“Oh, you are…Never mind, I’m coming” she chuckled with a roll of her eyes before uncrossing her arms and catching up to the dark-haired wizard.

“Yes, you will” he muttered under his breath as a smirk grew upon his lips.

As the pair met up with Draco and Hermione, the group began to walk the streets of London searching for a place to stay for the night, still covered in dark soot that stained their skin. Luckily their attire was somewhat consistent with the era as it had only been twenty-five years since the events of Gettysburg, and it was dark enough that no one was really out and about on the wet cobblestone roads, giving the foursome some much-needed relief of not having to fully blend in. However, finding a location that was open in the late night was going to prove difficult.

Friday, May 15th, 1999

“How is he?” Luna questioned delicately as Pansy shut Harry’s bedroom door.

“Finally sleeping” the raven-haired witch sighed heavily while making her way down the stairs and plopping herself on the couch across from the blonde. “Though Weasley won’t leave his bedside in case he has another vision, but I slipped some of the Calming Draught Madam Pomfrey gave him into his tea to at least make sure he doesn’t have a panic attack while he waits for Harry to wake up. Hopefully, he can get some rest too before dinner” she stated while rubbing the upper part of her arm with her hand. “I know it’s going to sound odd coming from me but…I feel bad for him. Ginny is his little sister and after the hell that family went through when the war ended...I can’t even imagine the pain he and his parents are going through.”

“That’s nice of you, Pansy and I’m sure he’ll be okay” the blonde pipped before her small smile turned serious. “Although…the real question is…are you going to be okay? I know your feelings for Harry are growing stronger, I could see it in your eyes as you held him, but have you talked to anyone about the stress you’re under? Because I know you have a temper and how it could affect your relationship in the long run”

“No…but Professor McGonagall said she was going to floo Healer Marcum in, unfortunately, he won’t be able to make it until Sunday.”

“We can talk until then…if you’d like? Maybe the Headmistress could allow us to go into Hogsmeade after dinner so we can grab a Butterbeer and chat. Just the two of us.”

“I’d like that, Luna…But I don’t really want to leave Harry for too long.”

“You’re protective of him,” she shrugged and leaned back against the sofa, “that’s understandable. I know how loyal Slytherins can be when it comes to those they care about. But you don’t have to keep him safe all by yourself. Harry has a whole lot of people who are looking out for him. You are allowed to breathe, you know?”

“I know, I…I just…I don’t know, I feel he’s my responsibility now and-”

“You can’t always save him, Pansy” Luna cut in as the Slytherin glance down at the table between them. “Think of it this way, Harry has been through a lot worse than being connected to Draco and he had survived all of it.”

“With help” Pansy argued as she brought her legs up and tucked them under her. “He’s had his friends and more importantly Hermione, to help get him through everything.”

“Ahhh, okay…” the Ravenclaw expressed before looking around to make sure no one was in the vicinity eavesdropping, causing Pansy to raise a perplexed brow. “I see what you’re doing now” she beamed.

“And that would be…?”

“Oh, Pansy…You’re trying to be his Hermione.”

“What? No! That-that is not what-”

“You can deny it all you want, but it’s true. Whether you believe it or not. You’re doing everything Hermione would have done if she were here right now, except you fancy Harry in a different way than her.”

“I am not!” the raven-haired witch contested while uncrossing her arms and grabbing the black pillow next to her before placing it on her lap and resting her hands upon it.

“You are though. There’s nothing wrong with that, Pansy. It just means you care enough about him to want to help the best way you know how. It’s a compliment really, to be compared to Hermione, but…”

“But what, Luna? But what?” Pansy questioned in frustration, clearly annoyed with being compared to Gryffindors’ one and only Golden Girl.

She never wanted to be compared to Hermione Granger in any way, mainly because she knew she could never measure up to the bookworm and the person she is. Which now that she thought about it, it was most likely the reason Draco was so drawn to the brunette. The blonde Slytherin was always watching her and seemed to constantly find ways to get near the girl. At first, she assumed it was because he was thinking of ways to ruin the brunette’s life somehow, but after what Thorfinn had said before they returned to school, she now believed Draco Malfoy only did the things he did because he had feelings for the girl they were taught to hate.

“Pansy...” Luna said sweetly while tilting her head to get a better look at the witch sitting across from her. “Harry doesn’t need another Hermione…he just needs you…”

XX

“Please tell me you’re lying…” Elizabeth pleaded with somber eyes as she gazed at Narcissa and Thorfinn in the middle of the Library. She was alone with her husband when the pair had returned as Molly was helping Keesy with lunch and Arthur was called into the Ministry unexpectantly. “Please tell me it’s not true; not her daughter too…”

“We don’t know the extent of her trial, Liz” Narcissa claimed as she rubbed the back of her neck with her hand. “For all we know, it has nothing to even do with Jack the Ripper.”

“Are you kidding me?” Robert exclaimed with a loud scoff. “Everyone knows that man was a deranged lunatic who prayed on prostitutes and mutilated their bodies! And they’re in Whitechapel, for heavens’ sake it’s on the map and the clue clearly mentioned him! Why would the amulet put them in that specific area, in that particular time period, if it had nothing to do with that insane man?”

“I don’t know!” the Malfoy mother shouted as a headache began to pound against her temples. “I just know what we were told and I’m trying to stay positive here!”

“We have to tell them” Elizabeth expressed dolefully as Thorfinn rubbed Narcissa’s back. We have to tell the Weasley’s everything you found out, including…all of her sons as well. They shouldn’t be kept in the dark no matter how horrible the situation is. They deserve to know.”

“Know what?” Molly inquired as she stood in the frame of the doorway with a tray of meats and cheeses in her hands. But when everyone just sullenly gazed at her, she looked to the floor, inhaled a deep breath, and walked over to one of the desks to set the food down. “It’s about my daughter, isn’t it?” she questioned while glancing up at the map and exhaled the breath she was holding. “I knew this day would eventually come. As if my family hasn’t suffered through enough pain…But I know Ginevra, I know how strong she is, and I know Hermione and those boys will do everything in their power to keep her safe.”

“Molly…” Narcissa uttered softly, knowing from experience that a mother can only endure so much when it came to their children. “Molly dear, it’s alright to feel worried and…and scared.”

“Scared, yes…” the redhead replied as she looked down at the food in front of her, before releasing the tray and turning around to face the four staring in concern. “I am terrified, but worried…no. I know that whatever is going to happen will happen regardless of my fears. However, knowing the three she is with, and how resilient they are, and how brave they are…I’m not worried that my daughter won’t make it through this. I am simply terrified of what she has to go through in order to change something about her the amulet sees as a flaw. I’ll be okay, but Elizabeth is right. I need to inform my sons. They’re her brothers and I can’t keep this from them. They will never forgive me if I do. They love her just as much as I do.”

“This is not going to end well…” Thorfinn whispered as he leaned slightly closer to Narcissa, who never took her eyes off the mother in front of her. “She’s bottling it all up. This is going to end very badly if she doesn’t break down now and instead waits until her daughter is actually enduring her ordeal.”

“We can’t do anything about that right now. She has to express the pain on her own terms…” the former Slytherin queen whispered back. “Just hope that it’s sooner rather than later and that she knows what she’s doing.”

Molly lowered her head as she tried to compose herself before raising her gaze to the people in front of her. She weakly smiled as she tried to hold everything back, all the emotions and thoughts coursing through her body at lightning speed, but she knew she had to keep it together. It wasn’t normally like her to not freak out when it came to her children, however, she had already witnessed both Elizabeth and Narcissa fall apart and refused to follow in their footsteps. Ginny was going to be just fine and regardless of how she acted, it wasn’t going to change anything. Her daughter still had to be tried and crying over it wasn’t going to help in any way.

“We can’t allow her to bottle it up” Rowle continued, but just as he was about to open his mouth to continue, the hearth roared to life, causing everything to quickly glance at the fireplace as Arthur stepped out with a distressed look. His brows were narrowed, and his lips parted as he breathed heavily; it almost appeared as if he had just finished having a heated debate with someone. “Arthur? Is everything alright?”

“We have a problem…” he declared adamantly as he ran his fingers through his hair and quickly walked up to kiss his wife.

“Who-who told you about Ginevra?” Elizabeth queried anxiously.

“What?” the red-headed father questioned while swiftly turning to gaze at all the worried eyes staring at him. “What about her? Is she alright?”

“For right now she’s fine, darling” Molly responded while patting his chest, making the Head of the Weasley household breathe a temporary sigh of relief.

“What problem do we have?” Narcissa inquired, realizing Molly was not going to tell her husband of her daughters’ fate just yet.

“They know…” he answered rather quickly. “The Ministry knows.”

“Great! That’s just fucking great!” Thorfinn expressed in frustration while throwing his arms in the air and turning around before placing his hands on his head and rotating back.

“H-how?” Narcissa asked in surprise. “Minerva did everything she could to keep everything under wraps. Did someone let it slip?”

“No one let it slip…”

“So, then how…” she began to question before trailing off as the sudden realization dawned on her. “Oh, Merlin…Draco…”

“Draco?” Elizabeth stated in confusion. “What does he have to do with the Ministry finding out? He’s the one stuck in the past.”

“And that’s the reason. It’s been over seven days” the Malfoy mother stated with a hand clasped against her chest. “He’s on probation-I completely forgot.”

“Probation?” Robert expressed in concern.

“Regardless if it was his choice or not, Draco was a former Death Eater” Arthur continued as he took a seat and began to rub both temples with the tips of his fingers. “He had a trial and everything after the war had ended. In exchange for not going to Azkaban for a year, he was put on probation until he turned nineteen and is not allowed to leave the school without supervision. If he’s gone longer than seven days with or without someone monitoring him, his Parole Auror is notified.

“But the PA has to get clearance from the Minister before sending a team out in case there is a lawful reason. Minerva has tried to explain his sudden disappearance away for days now, using the field trip as an excuse by saying the group was doing extra credit outside the school, but she can no longer keep up with the façade. The PA in charge of Draco began to grow suspicious, which caused Kingsley to look into everything.”

“This is bad! Oh God, this is really bad!” Elizabeth began to panic while pacing back and forth. “They’re going to find out what we did with Harry and that ritual and that we’ve been hiding information from them! They’re gonna lock us up in that prison and throw away the key with those soul eating ghost monster things that make you lose your mind!”

“That’s…that’s not how that works…that’s not how any of that works” Rowle claimed with narrowed brows and crossed arms. “No one did anything illegal and even if you did, the Ministry would have found out the moment you started chanting. But that sort of magic is extremely rare, I guarantee it isn’t even on their radar. They can’t do anything about it but try and make it illegal; and since you performed the ceremony before that would happen, they can’t charge you. Plus, you’re a muggle, you can’t go to Azkaban. That prison’s strictly for witches and wizards.”

“They can though…” Arthur proclaimed while standing up and wiping a hand down his face, “Kingsley is not happy and is demanding to know where Draco is before doing anything drastic. He’s on his way right now to talk to Minerva, who will most likely bring him here to examine the map. I sent her an Owl telling her everything before flooing here, so hopefully she received it before he arrives. It’s one thing for him to deal with a ‘criminal’ that has disappeared, it’s another to deal with four students missing AND the fact that Harry is connected to Draco through Dark magic. If we have to bring him into this mess, then we have to do it carefully.

“Otherwise, he can and will have us all arrested for ‘aiding and abetting’ Narcissa’s son, regardless of the circumstances. He’ll tell the muggle Prime Minister, who can have Elizabeth and Robert arrested on false charges just to prove a point. We have to show him proof that Draco, Hermione, Ginevra, and Blaise are unwillingly trapped in time and that there is nothing we can do to bring them back. We leave Harry’s link out of it until we are certain we cannot be charged with anything; do I make myself clear?”

“You honestly believe he would arrest us when all of our children are missing?” Molly inquired in bewilderment. “Kingsley was part of the Order of Phoenix for Godric’s sake; he wouldn’t turn his back on us like that.”

“You didn’t hear him, Molly. He told me this himself. He’s furious that he wasn’t informed as soon as it happened and since the war, he’s been on edge and under a lot of scrutiny with how he is handling the cleanup of the Wizarding World and the Ministry. Politics right now are all over the place and his actions are carefully being watched, which can weigh heavily on a person already dealing with a difficult job. He believes we betrayed his trust by keeping him in the dark and making things harder than they already are.

“If the Auror department catches wind that Draco is missing and we’ve been hiding that information from them, then Draco will be labeled as a fugitive and we will be arrested for so-called ‘helping him’. We have nothing to secure us if we try to call his bluff and I for one, am not going to prison for this. I say we bring Kingsley in and slowly catch him up to speed, then he can keep the Aurors at bay, hopefully, at least until our children return.”

“And what about Thorfinn?” Narcissa questioned worryingly, making the former Death Eater eye her in surprise. “He’s a former Death Eater too.”

“I was pardoned for my crimes, Cissy, remember I told you that when I first arrived” Thorfinn declared with a heavy sigh. “I helped Kingsley locate a few high ranked supporters of Voldemort in exchange for my freedom. He knows about the amulet and what I went through, but if he doesn’t know that that same amulet has taken your children then I can see why he’s so upset. We have to tell him everything…Including Potter’s link to your son. Otherwise, you are all going to dig yourselves into a deeper hole and he will be left with no other choice.”

In that moment the fireplace once again roared to life, resulting in everyone looking to the floo as McGonagall, who appeared enraged, and Kinsley Shacklebolt stepped out of the hearth.

“I feel I may need to assign you all rooms in the castle until this ordeal is over. I cannot keep coming here when I have a whole school to run and classes to teach” the headmistress announced in irritation. “Minister, if you will, please follow me. I would like to get this done and over with as soon as possible and then we can all sit down in my office, have a spot of tea, and sort this all out. I will not have more problems than we are all currently facing” she finished while walking up to the map and the Minister for Magic scowled at everyone as he angrily began following her.

September of 1888

“I am seriously about done with walking around in the fucking rain!” Blaise whined while stopping in his tracks and crossing his arms.

“My gods, do you ever stop complaining!” Draco asked in frustration as he threw his head back and groaned.

“We can catch our deaths out here!” the Italian argued, clearly just as annoyed as the Slytherin Prince was.

“We’ve been through so much fucking worse, that having to deal with the possibility of a fucking cold is useless! Just shut-it already!” the blonde contended as the girls stood by and watched as the boys pointlessly argued.

“Fuck you, mate! Just because I don’t want to have to deal with getting sick on top of everything else does not mean you get to yell at me! You’re not in charge so how about you stop acting like the Alpha!”

“Oh, I’m acting?” Draco scoffed with a light chuckle. “You have done nothing but complain in each and every single era like it’s going to fucking do something! All you do is fucking whine and tell us what we all need to do in order to suit your fucking needs! You don’t like cold, you’re scared of animals,” he mocked callously, “you don’t like the rain, oh no Draco, my girlfriend’s going hunting and I don’t like it, can you pretty please stop trying to help your girl and do something about it because I’m not man enough to stop her on my own?”

Blaise glowered angrily as his breathing grew heavy and instead of arguing back any longer, he ran at his friend and tried to tackle him to the ground, causing the girls to gasp and Draco to begin fighting back. Gripping the dark-haired wizard around the waist, who was hunched over and pushing him back with his shoulder, Draco quickly sidestepped and tossed the Italian off of him before charging at full speed and landing a solid fist into his jaw. Blaise stumbled backward slightly before gazing up at the blonde with a hardened scowl as he held a hand against his jaw and spit out the blood that formed in his mouth. As Blaise threw a punch at his mate, Ginny and Hermione crossed their arms in irritation while the boys continued to fight.

“Should we break them up now or wait until someone calls the cops on them?” Ginny inquired with a tilt of her head as Draco tackled Blaise to the ground.

“I’ll handle this…” Hermione claimed while uncrossing her arms and exhaling a disgruntled breath.

Storming up to the boys wrestling on the cobblestone road, Hermione swiftly leaned down, grabbed Draco by the ear and began pulling him off the Italian.

“Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow…”

While her wizard was arching sideways and moaning in pain, the Gryffindor then quickly bent down and gripped Blaise by the ear as well, forcing him to stand and cry out in the same manner as the Malfoy heir. Once he was fully to his feet but leaning to the side in the same fashion as Draco, she kept her hold as she shot daggers at both of them before opening her mouth to speak.

“Are you done?” she snapped strongly. “You want to act like children, then I will treat you like fucking children! I watched Tala die, watched a young boy get shot in front of me, held a dying old woman in my arms, and we have no idea what the hell happened to Caleb! The last thing any of us need today is you two at each other’s throats! Yes, we’re now stuck in 1888 in the fucking rain! Get over it! We are not doing this! Not here and not fucking tonight! I cannot handle more bullshite right now! We’re going to find shelter and you two are going to apologize to each other or so help me! I know you’re both under a lot of stress but honestly, in this moment, I really could care less because your bickering over who’s complaining and who isn’t, is not nearly as important as surviving that fucking amulet! And quite frankly, it’s irking my damn soul! Enough already! Not another word from either of you until we find a place to stay! Do you understand me?”

“Yes…” the boys whimpered in unison.

“Pardon me?” she demanded sharply.

“Yes!” they answered louder.

Releasing her hold on the Slytherins while Ginny folded in her lips to keep from laughing, Hermione once again crossed her arms as her eyes darted back and forth between Draco and Blaise.

“Well…?”

“Well, what? You just said not another word!” Draco protested while rubbing his left ear, which caused the bookworm to glare at him as her jaw clenched tightly.

“Okay! Okay…” he began as he looked to the ground before reluctantly glancing up at Blaise. “I’m…I’m sorry” he stated through gritted teeth. Hermione then looked to Blaise and before she even had a chance to yell at him, he quickly apologized while avoiding her hardened stare.

“Was that so hard?” she fiercely questioned. “No?” she asked when no one answered her and instead both boys gazed at the ground in embarrassment. “Then both of you shut-it and keep going!”

With their heads hung low in embarrassment, Draco and Blaise began walking as Ginny strolled up to her friend and entwined her arm through hers.

“I told Blaise you were terrifying when angered…I guess he didn’t listen” she chuckled.

“Oh, don’t think you’re off the hook for leaving the camp without discussing it with me first, Gin. We will have that talk in the morning” the brunette witch declared, causing Ginny’s smile to fade as Hermione began walking off without her.

“Fuck” she groaned before running to catch up.

After another twenty minutes of aimlessly strolling the streets of London, the group came upon a pub, tucked neatly away behind a large building, with a sign that read Dark Wolf’s Tavern above the entrance. Realizing how hungry they were and that the place seemed to still be open, the foursome began to make their way inside. Opening one of the double doors, they stepped in and were instantly hit with the raw potent smell of tobacco and a woman yelling at one of the three patrons seated at the long wooden bar to their left.

The room was fairly large with a run-down Grand Piano placed against the far wall to their right, and a flight of stairs that led to the second level near the entrance. Hermione couldn’t see past the first ten steps as the stairwell was rather dark once it reached the landing, so she began to observe the rest of the room filled with at least seven or eight round wooden tables that sat four apiece.

“Walter, I swear to God if you toss your cookies on my bar top, I will tell your wife that you keep drowning your sorrows here after work ever ‘day!” the young barmaid asserted in an almost southern accent as she smacked a heavyset man leaning over the counter on the top of the head with a rolled-up newspaper. She then glanced to the door and saw the four students huddled together, looking completely out of place and soaking wet. “My my, I don’t believe I’ve seen you folks around here before. Welcome! Come in, come in, get yourselves out of the rain” she smiled happily as she waved the group over. “My name’s Lucy Jean; you can call me Lucy. What can I get you? Beer, Gin, Wine…a towel?” she giggled.

“Oh, thank Merlin!’ Blaise expressed as he relaxed his shoulders, walked up to the bar, and began to dig into his pocket for his money bag before stopping when he remembered he needed muggle money. Turning to Draco, who had his arms crossed and a small bruise forming just under his eye where the Italian had hit him, he exhaled a deep breath, making the blonde Slytherin look to him and tilt his head.

“No” he declared adamantly.

“Please?”

“No!”

“Look I’m sorry for fighting with you,” Blaise proclaimed as Draco scowled at him, “but I think after everything, we could all use a drink. Salazar knows, Hermione needs one and you’re the only one with mug-I mean money.”

“We’re still servin’ food too if you all are hungry?” Lucy Jean claimed pleasantly. “You look like you could use a proper meal…and some medical attention…” she stated as she gazed at the bruises on both boys and the tattered clothing they were all wearing. “My father owns this place, runs the kitchen, and is one hell of a cook. We got shellfish too if you’re interested. It’s rare but Daddy always makes sure to have all sorts of food on hand because times are so hard for ever’ one.”

“Could-could you give us a moment?” Hermione weakly smiled at the long curly-haired brunette woman who simply nodded her head.

“Course! I’ll go and put an order of pie in for you, on the house, and get you some water…and some towels to dry off. You all let me know when you’re ready to order” she beamed and began to turn before stopping and rotating back with a raised finger. “Oh, and please ignore Walter over there. He looks like a mean son of a bitch, but he’s a teddy bear and will cry his heart out to you if you let ‘em. Talk your ear off that one. Best to keep your distance when he’s drunk like that.”

“Got it, thanks” the bookworm smiled while glancing to the burly man still leaning over the counter and crying softly against the wall.

“I’m not paying for you to have a drink when you just tried to tackle me not that fucking long ago!” Draco claimed coldly to the dark-skinned wizard. “In fact, I really should just let you sleep on the streets instead of paying for a room for you as well!”

“Stop it” Hermione cut in. “Both of you. I don’t know what’s gotten into either of you but please, for the love of God, just stop. I’ll pay for the damn drinks if it’ll end this nonsense.”

“I…” Draco began while softening his shoulders, realizing his attitude was taking a toll on everyone. Even Ginny appeared fed up and the only thing Blaise was asking for was a drink after he had just apologized without Hermione telling him to. “I’m sorry, love. I’m just tired and, I don’t know, things have just been a little chaotic lately. I need a break.”

“We all need a break,” Ginny firmly stated, “but that doesn’t mean we should take our anger out on each other. And Blaise is right, I for one could use a drink right about now.”

“Fine” the blonde sighed while reaching into his pocket and pulling out his money pouch. “I’ll pay for the drinks, but can we please ask that bartender for directions or something to an Inn or a hotel?”

“This is weird” Ginny stated with widened eyes and a raised hand. “You’re a guy, Blondie, you’re not supposed to want to ask for direction! Miiiioooone! You better get his head checked before he falls asleep, he may be suffering from a concussion!”

“Here we are!” Lucy exclaimed as she walked out the kitchen door behind the bar with four pewter tankards full of water on a tray before setting them on the counter and drying her hands on a cloth attached to her belt.

“Oh, ha-ha” the Malfoy heir sneered at the redhead as he rolled his eyes. “Just order your damn drink before I change my mind.”

“Ahh, I see you were able to convince him!” the young muggle chuckled while leaning one hand on the wood separating her from the group, and the other on her hip. “What can I get yah?”

“Four of your best beer, please” Ginny beamed while leaning on the bar with her forearms.

“You got it! Bottle or pint?”

“Uhh, bottle, I guess.”

“Alright! That’ll be fourteen pence, please!”

As the barmaid began to grab the beer and distribute them, Draco narrowed his brows as he handed over the money before looking to Hermione in confusion.

“It’s only fourteen pence?” he whispered. “That’s like twenty-two euros in 1999. That’s not even pocket change to me. What sort of beer am I paying for here?”

“Not the fancy kind you’re most likely used to drinking” she giggled as she picked the glass bottle up and held it in the air in order to toast with her friends. “Cheers!” she exclaimed as the blonde gazed at his drink in distaste before clinking the bottle against the others.

Taking a sip of the strong liquid, both Blaise and Draco made sour faces while trying to swallow the alcohol as Ginny happily drank her beverage, and Hermione finally lifted the beer to her lips after watching her peers’ reactions. However, as soon as the warm fluid touched her tongue, the intense taste caused her to want to rid the booze from her mouth and she thoughtlessly spit the drink out…directly onto Blaise’s face.

While Blaise closed his eyes in annoyance and licked his lips before pressing his tongue firmly against the inside of his cheek while the liquid dripped down his face, Draco laughed mid-sip, causing the beer in his mouth to dribble down his chin.

“Oh…my…God…I…am so sorry” Hermione claimed in a state of shock as Ginny and the bartender tried not to laugh, while promptly looking for something to help the Italian clean up. Quickly taking the cloth from the brunette muggle she began to try and wipe the alcohol from his skin, but he swiftly took a step back while he pinched his lips together and shook his head.

“No…” he stated rather calmly as he ran his hand over his face and Hermione bit her bottom lip to keep from giggling. “I will get you back for that; mark my words, Buttercup, a Slytherin always pays his debts. You’re lucky I like you, however, this means war…”

“I really am sorry” she chuckled while handing him the cloth.

But as Blaise took the rag and began to wipe his face off, the kitchen door opened, and a curly dark-haired male stepped out with four slices of pie. The male glanced up from the plates in his hands with a large smile upon his lips, but his happiness suddenly turned to shock and fear as he dropped the tarts and stared in utter horror at the group standing in his tavern. The plates crashed to the ground, shattering into pieces, forcing the Hogwarts students to gaze at the doorway with widened eyes and slacked jaws.

“No…Y-y-y-you should not be here! Why are you here? What are you doing here?” the man shrieked in horror as everyone else in the pub raised a brow in bewilderment.

“Papa, what’s wrong?” the barmaid questioned as she looked back and forth between her father and the four young students staring in surprise at one another. “What the bloody hell is going on?”

“Merlin’s beard…” Hermione muttered in a low whisper while grabbing Draco’s arm tightly and slowly setting her drink down. “Caleb? You’re…you’re alive…”


	23. Demons Within

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **IMPORTANT AUTHORS’ NOTE FOR ALL SITES THIS STORY IS ON: I am so sorry for the delay you guys! I finished this chapter last night at 4 am and then carefully went over it and edited it with my beta all day today. But technically it’s still Sunday where I am, so I have that going for me at least lol. I do want to go over a few important things before you dive into this chapter, however. I mentioned that the winners who had created characters, would show up in 23 but unfortunately, this chapter became much longer than I planned and only one was mentioned. But have no fear, to those who won, your characters will be in 24 for sure. Now speaking of 24, I am sorry to do this again to you all, but it will most likely be delayed as I am dealing with everything at home and work due to the COVID-19 virus spreading throughout the world faster and faster. My job apparently is considered essential in my area and the grooming salon has reopened so, my coworker and I had to work out strict protocols to keep everyone safe. I can not give a date as I don’t exactly know when things will settle down for me, but I cannot say it enough, I will NEVER abandon this story. You have nothing to fear. I have way too many things planned for it to give up. I also apologize to all those who commented, for not getting back to you, however, I still do read every comment and I want you all to know how much joy it brings me during this chaotic time. Please don’t stop leaving reviews and for those who are new to my story, WELCOME! I am extremely happy you are enjoying it so far and love to read your comments as well. I will do my upmost best to catch up and provide anyone sheltered at home something to keep you occupied and something to look forward to. Anyway, I think I have rambled on long enough! You may now all enjoy this lovely chapter and please, stay safe! As always, XOXO!**

_“You got me in a free fall, you're my sweet surrender, You wrapped me in a white flag in my darkest hours, So tell me will you stay now?, 'Cause I feel like I'm saved now, You got me in a free fall, you're my sweet surrender”_

_Sweet Surrender- Against the Current_

Chapter 23- Demons Within

September of 1888

"Papa, do you know these people?" Lucy inquired with an outstretched hand as she worryingly gazed at her father, causing the group to glance at her and then back to Caleb in sudden realization that the woman tending to them was indeed the former Confederate's daughter.

Her hair was lighter than his and fell in soft waves a few inches past her shoulders, but their features were almost identical. She had the same warm brown eyes and light freckles across her nose like the man they knew basically twenty-five years prior; the only part of her face that didn't resemble the brunette muggle was her lips, which Hermione assumed was a physical trait she had inherited from her mother. Lucy was practically a young female version of Caleb Rosenburt and it boggled the bookworms' mind that she didn't see the signs when they first met her.

"Holy mother of Salazar!" Blaise expressed as his eyes darted back and forth between the two descendants of Osiris. "We're dreaming, right? This must be a dream. There's no way the chances of us seeing him again is logical...right? Right? We're just imagining that this man looks like Caleb."

"All of us?" Draco snapped as he finally took his eyes off the pair and looked to Blaise with a sardonic glare. "Are you fucking daft?"

"How is this possible?" Ginny questioned in surprise. "I thought each person in the riddle was supposed to be different."

"Daddy!" Lucy yelled, pulling the man from his stunned daze as two of the three patrons finished their drinks and left, while Walter continued to ignore the people around him and cried into his beer.

"Close the pub..." Caleb uttered, though still never taking his eyes off the four in front of him.

"But, Father..."

"Do not argue! Close the Tavern, take Walter to a room, and then I want you to go home" he demanded as Lucy crossed her arms and scowled at him. "Do not bother cleaning up either. I shall handle it...Did you hear me, child! I said-"

"I heard you!" she argued back before scoffing heavily. She then walked over to the door, turned the sign to closed, and locked the establishment up for the night before making her way over to Walter and gently coaxed him off the stool he was sitting upon. Once the duo went up the stairs and was out of sight, Caleb swiftly walked around the counter, still in a slight daze, and began pulling each one of the four into a large hug.

"My God," he expressed in shock, "none of you have ripened a day...H-how is this possible? Jesus, I missed your faces! Come, sit." He waved a hand to one of the tables in the back of the room and took a seat with his mouth still open in wonder. "I-I can't believe this. I never thought I would see any of you ever again. It's been, what, twenty-five years since I last saw you...Why are you here? I mean first, how-how have you been?"

"Well considering the events of Gettysburg were quite literally hours ago for us," Draco claimed while pulling out a chair for Hermione before grabbing an extra seat from the table nearest them, and sitting down next to her, "not that great. We haven't really had a chance to miss you yet..."

"Hours ago? I guess that explains the state of your attire. But...then that means-"

"That the raid in the Shawnee camp is still very fresh in our minds" Hermione stated sullenly as Draco took her hand in his.

"This...this is simply astonishing and...daunting at the same time" Caleb declared as he leaned his elbows on the table and ran his fingers through his greying hair. "I have been haunted by that night f-for years and you all just...you just came from it. I-I can't imagine...How-how are you doing, Hermione? Last I remember, you were still not fully yourself."

"What happened to you?" the bookworm asked with tears brewing in her eyes as she ignored his question. "After Tala...after Blaise saved you...where did you go?"

"I..." the muggle began while licking his lips in despair. "I...I was so broken, Hermione...After finding you with Tala...God, I miss her every day..." he paused for a moment as he gazed up at the wooden ceiling with glistening eyes and a hand partially clasped over his lips. "I couldn't think about anything else for weeks after she was murdered. I even went as far as to track Ohiyesa down..."

"So, what happened?" Draco cut in delicately. "Did-did you find him?"

"I did...Turns out he was the one who had told the soldiers the base camps' location to spare his life when he encountered them after leaving the hunting party. He also told everyone left in the tribe, which...wasn't many, that I-I killed Tala and that Hermione had snuck up on him and maimed him when he 'tried' to help...The only people who survived that fire was the hunting group and most believed the lies he told...The only one who took my side was Anoki, but...his voice wasn't enough.

"I was forced into hiding, which...gave me a lot of time to think of ways to kill that wretched man. I wanted him dead. I prayed every day that I could see him die by my hand. And thanks to you, Hermione, and that magic you used to injure him, he was too weak to fight me and I uh," he continued as both Draco and Ginny glanced to the brunette witch with raised brows. "One night, about a month after, I um...I snuck into his tent, pinned him down, and...I...I-I let my anger get the better of me...

"What...What did you do?" Blaise inquired in a mixture of concern and curiosity.

"I got my wish...I-I took the same dagger he used to murder my beloved and...I stabbed him...repeatedly...everywhere...I-I then slit his throat like he had Tala's and watched as the life slowly drained from his eyes...I was trained to kill, trained to fight. Taking away his life was the best decision I had ever made...but it still didn't bring her back to me and...I have had to live with the images of both of them dead since that awful night. I guess that saying is true, 'A man who desires revenge should dig two graves'. I have not been the same man since..."

"I-I am so sorry for not getting to her in time..." the bookworm proclaimed teary-eyed. "If I had then-"

"Don't..." Caleb cut in firmly. "Don't you dare apologize...Regret is a powerful thing, Hermione, don't allow it to consume you. You are not to blame for her death, you hear me? You are not to blame."

The group sat in an awkward quiet for a moment as Caleb stared at his hands and everyone else gazed at each other dejectedly.

"So, uh..." Blaise breathed out while trying to break the uncomfortable silence. "you own a pub now...and uh, you have a daughter..." he weakly grinned.

"Yeah..." Caleb smiled proudly. "I um, I bought some land after...well...everything, and sold it for a decent price in 1864. Made good money from it, but...there was nothing left for me back in America. I gave up trying to get to Salem and decided to move to England, where my family originated from, in order to get away from the memories. Although with a photographic mind it's hard to do..."

"Are you married?" Ginny inquired warmly. "O-or I mean, d-did you marry...after..."

"I am" the former Confederate beamed. "You lot would like her. Mary-Ann is a special kind of gal. She's no Tala, but sweet just the same. Been married for twenty-two years as of a few months ago. I changed my last name right after arriving in England to Wolf, met Mary-Ann about two months in, got married not long after that, and then we had Lucy Jean almost a year later. Not the best of times as I felt I was not ready yet to be a father, but all the fights, all the worrying...it was worth every second after she was born. I love Lucy more than I have ever loved anyone or anything in my entire life. She's my whole world, that one."

As Hermione and Ginny smiled gleefully, both Draco and Blaise lowered their heads in sadness as they had never felt that sort of love from their parents, Blaise the least of them. The Italian didn't even know who his father was. The most he knew was that his last name was Zabini, which his mother, for some odd reason, never changed her last name from, and that he was a tan Caucasian she had met in Italy one summer. He suspected, out of the seven husbands she had gone through in life, his father was the only one who died of natural causes and was the only man his mother had ever truly loved. Blaise had hoped it was because he gave her him, but with how his mother began treating him over the past few years, he no longer believed the tales he once told himself to be true.

"What is on your mind, mate?" Caleb questioned with a raised brow when he noticed how upset Blaise appeared.

"Nothing important" he grinned feebly.

"Alright...But if you ever want to talk about it. Please don't hesitate to come to me."

"Thanks...But I'm fine" the Italian replied while inhaling a deep breath.

"Wait, Wolf...?" the bookworm muttered under her breath as her eyes darted back and forth, staring unseeingly at the table in front of her.

"As in Dark Wolf's Tavern, Mione" Ginny stated while leaning back in her chair. "He owns this pub" she concluded. But Hermione simply smiled in understanding and delicately gazed up at the muggle.

"You took Tala's name" she asserted, causing everyone to raise a brow as Caleb tenderly smiled.

"What?" Blaise queried in confusion. "His last name is now Wolf, Buttercup, not Tala..."

"Tala is Native American...for Wolf. Isn't it, Caleb?" she inquired, although she never removed her gaze off the brunette sitting across from her.

"I couldn't let her go..." he claimed after a few seconds of silence as Draco, Ginny, and Blaise glanced to him while he continued to warmly stare into the Golden Girl's eyes. "It was the only thing I could think to do. I could not let her die without having something to carry on her legacy...to keep her alive in a way."

"So, you changed your last name to Wolf, in order to honor her..." Draco breathed out in surprise. "That's...that's a really strong devotion to just one person."

"I loved her" he shrugged with watery eyes. "I still love her. I always will. Keeping her name alive was the only way I could thank her for everything she had ever done for me. She made me the man I am today. You all did, actually; even Thorfinn and Regulus. For twenty-five years I have lived the best life I could to honor all of you. I did not want to disappoint."

"You could never disappoint us, Caleb" Hermione fondly stated.

"Alright, well..." he cleared his throat and wiped the tears from his eyes. "Now that we discussed me and what I've been up to, let's talk about what we seem to be avoiding...Why are you here? I thought your journey would be over by now."

"We never know why we land in a specific time period" Draco scoffed lightly while leaning forward and resting his elbows on the table. "I just want to go home. I miss my bed, I miss our classmates too honestly."

"The faster we get through these next three eras, the faster we all get to go home" the brunette witch stated while rubbing the blondes' back. "We just need to figure out who's next and why Caleb is our ancestor again."

"I'd like to know that too" Ginny added.

"Okay...well the next part of the riddle is the one of bravery which will not stay down," Draco declared while wiping his hands down his face before resting them on the table. "Caleb was a Confederate and fought in the American Civil War...I can see why he's bravery and is chosen again."

Though as soon as the words left the blondes' lips, Caleb knew Draco was wrong. He had done plenty of research when he moved to London, about Osiris and the relic he had created. Fortunately, being a Squib had its perks; he couldn't use magic, but he could still see it, and after witnessing a young wizard many years ago, walk through a wall as if it wasn't even there, he knew he could gain access to the Wizarding World. After a decade of dodging magical folks questioning him on his lineage and working part-time at a very sketchy library in Knockturn Alley, Caleb was able to finally conclude that the amulet never gave the same ancestor twice to one group. Which meant he would never see his friends again. Yet here they were in front of him, a quarter of a century later, in his pub, talking to him as if no time had passed.

"I'm not your ancestor..." he admitted in a disheartened voice, interrupting the four discussing how Caleb was to guide them.

"What? Why not?" Blaise asked perplexed. "I mean it's obvious, isn't it? You're brave and you don't take shite from anyone. Ginny and I both saw you with Ohiyesa in the woods. It takes a brave person to confront that demon of a human. Much like a Gryffindor, actually" he claimed while briefly glancing at the redhead, who also showed no fear in facing the brute man.

"I am not your ancestor...As much as I would love to take the place of the one that is...I'm not."

"I'm not understanding..." the Italian declared in bewilderment.

"Oh, Merlin..." Draco sighed when everything finally clicked. "It's your daughter..."

"How the hell do you know that?" Ginny requested with scrunched brows as Blaise and Hermione's eyes widened.

"The amulet does not do doubles..." Caleb answered. "I did a lot of research after returning here, tried to find as much as I possibly could about it, in case I encountered anyone else not from my time."

"Wait, so you actually found documents on it?" Draco queried while sitting up straight.

"Not documents...I-I traveled to Egypt one summer a few years back, when Lucy was old enough to tend to the Tavern alone. I wanted to find out more about my family history and see if I could figure out why everyone keeps coming to me. So, I found the location of Osiris's old home. There wasn't anything there and I had already spent two weeks away from my family. But when I went to leave something happened...M-my heart started to race, and it felt like something was pulling me back to the empty land. I cannot really explain the feeling, but I knew I had to keep looking."

"On an empty plot of land?" Blaise questioned with a raised brow.

"That's the thing, friend...It wasn't empty."

"Oh, my Gods!" Ginny pipped with a wide smile. "There was a Boundary spell on it, wasn't there? One that possibly had a signature so that only his bloodline could pass through!"

"I don't know what it was, but the burnt house appeared when I went back. While I searched the remains, which I shall mention still smelled and appeared as if the embers that once engulfed it just died down-"

"A Preservation charm..." Hermione uttered in astonishment. "Those are extremely powerful and very hard to perform. Only a Master Spell-man could place one. I can't even do that charm yet. Trust me, I've tried..." she claimed while looking at everyone staring at her. "Sorry, continue."

"Anyway," Caleb sighed while playing with the tips of his fingers resting on the table, "I still could not find anything relevant to tell me about my lineage...until I saw a green glow coming from under the floorboards. It was a journal. It was badly charred and hard to read, but I managed...I know what spells he used..."

"What? What are they?" the brunette witch chirped in utter disbelief. "Maybe if I knew what they were I could find a way to counter them and send us home!"

"Fuck Draco!" Blaise exclaimed in excitement. "If you could manage that, then I would marry you right away...! Red can join too" he chuckled as Ginny shot daggers at him and Draco scowled menacingly. "It was a joke, for Salazar sake people, get it together!"

"Enough! I don't think any of you understand just how powerful that thing really is..." Caleb continued in a stern tone as Draco playfully punched his friend in the arm. "This isn't some joke or game! It's an extremely rare artifact that was created with Dark Magic! Every time the amulet does a set of jumps, you get one ancestor to help guide you to where you're supposed to be! It never repeats in a single set, and you can die if you fail your trial! You can't escape being tested! You try to throw it away, it stops you! You try to avoid the trial, an invisible wall appears, trapping you in the location until it's complete! You try to apparate and you arrive in the very same location you started at or depending on how far you are into the test, it can prevent you from apparating or using certain spells altogether!"

"How the bloody hell do you know all this?" Blaise cut in with widened eyes.

"I told you! I did my research! I had years to study that thing and your world! Did any of you even think to ask why no one ever came to take you away when you used magic in front of muggles?" he asked, causing the group to shake their heads 'no'. "It is because everyone you used it in front of, was going to die anyway. The amulet is smart, it is like it has a mind of its own; like it's a living being."

"Are you saying that even if we try to go to Diagon Alley in the morning, that we won't be able to unless the stupid beetle says we can?" the Slytherin Prince demanded to know. "What sort of bullshite is that?"

"Can we just discuss what spells are on the thing before freaking out about where we can and can't go?" Hermione interrupted gently. "You mentioned Dark Magic, correct?" she questioned while turning her attention to Caleb. "Do you still have the journal?"

"I don't unfortunately. Whatever magic was placed on the home wouldn't allow me to take it with. I was only able to take a single page and all it explained was how he received the amulet from Cleopatra and his death."

"Okay so, where is this page?" Ginny asked.

"My guess would be somewhere in the Wizarding World. I was running low on money and had a child to feed. I sold it to some Goblin in Diagon Alley for a hefty price, which is what allowed me to buy this pub and keep a steady flow of good food. I had no use for it anymore, seeing as I could remember it easily, and I had no family that would be interested in keeping it. Lucy doesn't know anything about magic or even you lot. I can't tell if she's just a muggle or a Squib, but she shows no signs like I have read" the brunette muggle claimed dejectedly. "And I would very much like to keep her from it. All it does is make life harder and I do not want that for her."

"Can you recall the spells used at least?" Draco requested in annoyance.

"I can..."

"Okay, and...?" The Prince waved a hand urging him to continue when Caleb refused to answer right away.

"I do not know if I should say-"

"Oh, come on!" Blaise interrupted, completely fed up, as he stood from his chair and began to pace back and forth before he stopped and leaned on the wooden backrest. "We are not doing this! Not tonight! We have been through way too much fucking shite and if there is even the slightest chance that Hermione here, can reverse the spells, then fucking let her do it! I want to go home!"

"It's not that simple!" Caleb argued while standing as well. "The type of magic used is far more dangerous than anything you have ever encountered! I studied that ritual for months and still couldn't comprehend the depth of it!"

"Wait, ritual?" the bookworm queried with a raised hand as she glanced back and forth between the two men. "What ritual?"

"Qui enim quaerit, invenietis votum suum... translated to, 'For he who seeks, shall find his desire'. It's a complex time travel ritual, which requires a sacrifice...Apparently, that sacrifice is one's energy force. It drains your power until you become practically a shell of who you once were. There is a loophole, however...The more people willing to provide their energy, the longer and further you can travel. Although, you can not exactly change anything, and you can permanently remain stuck if your spirit cannot find its way back to its body. As you all know...without the soul, the body begins to disintegrate. There's no coming back from it.

"The man who invented it, created it specifically to save his former lover from a horrible death after being outed as a witch in the Medieval era. Osiris used his family to help him, but he somehow found a way to mix the ceremony with a newer time travel spell, a lot of protection charms, a very powerful repairing charm, a locator charm, and a few others that will identify when the thing needs to be activated."

"It sounds like you're saying the amulet is similar to a brain," the bookworm stated with narrowed brows of concentration, "and that all the spells are like the nerves and signals communicating with each other..."

"Uhhh...sure...we'll go with that. Anyway, each one stops a certain aspect of the ritual. No human energy is required as a sacrifice as it uses the protection spells for the main source, and if broken, cracked, or even scraped, the relic will repair itself in due time" he sighed while taking his seat once more. "There is also a signature on it. Only a blood relative can remove the charms. However, if they did and are somehow successful, it would mean devastation to all those lost in time...In other words...you four will be trapped in the past...forever."

"This is way too fucking much!" Blaise complained, although this time Draco wasn't angry about it because he wholeheartedly agreed. There was absolutely nothing any of them could do to get home earlier rather than later. Both ancestors held no magic and for all they knew, it could be years before one did. They had no choice anymore, no hope, no faith...nothing. Everything inside the group of Hogwarts students keeping them going, left them in that moment. Now, all any of them wanted to do was sulk in their misery until it was all over.

"I am sorry..." Caleb announced sullenly when no one uttered a word for a long period of time as they took everything in and realized their fate.

"So...y-your daughter is s-supposed to guide us...?" Ginny finally spoke in a sullen tone. Her voice cracked slightly as she tried her best to hold in her emotions and took Blaise's hand when he finally sat down in defeat.

"I wish she wasn't" the former Confederate stated despondently. "Lord, I really wish she wasn't..."

"Can't you take her place?" Blaise suggested, realizing how much it was hurting the man next to him to know that his daughter was in potential danger. "Can't you just guide us?"

"It doesn't work that way..." Caleb answered while resting his forehead in his hand to hide the sadness radiating his face. Lucy Jean was his daughter, his only daughter, he couldn't bear to lose her if something were to happen. He himself barely made it out alive twice and now it was Lucy's turn. But there was nothing he could do to change it or protect her. He couldn't even warn her about everything because not only would it take forever to explain, but it would make his bull-headed child want to help the four that much more. He was at a crossroad, and no matter which way he went, the path would remain the same.

"How do we know she's our ancestor?" the redhead inquired softly, hoping that maybe Caleb was wrong, and his daughter could be spared. "It may be possible that another one is in the same era."

"Possible, yes...likely...no" the man sighed as he leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. "You were drawn to this pub, whether you felt it or not. And I cannot take her place. Wherever she is supposed to lead you on this path, no one knows. It just happens. I-"

"Caleb Samuel Wolf!" a woman's voice boomed from the entryway of the kitchen, causing everyone to turn as Caleb's eyes widened in fear.

"Shite" he expressed in shock while he stared at his wife breathing heavily as she held the door open with one hand and glanced down at the broken plates and pies covering the floor in front of her.

"What in the Lord's name, is going on in here?" she demanded with a strong English accent while stepping over the mess and storming up to the group slowly standing in confusion. "Lucy Jean is completely out of sorts thinking you were in trouble with some bad people!"

"I-I am in no trouble, my love...I um..." Caleb cleared his throat as he walked around the table and took his wife's hands in his. Her long greying black curls hung loosely down her back as her copper-brown eyes shot daggers at him. "Do-do you remember the people I told you about a while back? The ones that saved my life in America?"

Mary-Ann quickly glanced at the group with a perplexed brow before turning back to her husband and scrunching her nose. She knew full well that the late teens were not from America nor were they the people who had saved Caleb's life. They hardly appeared a day over twenty, let alone in their late forties like herself and her husband and it boggled her mind as to why he was bringing his past up now. He had never spoken about his previous life since the one drunken night he accidentally spilled a bit of information about his time with a tribe in the woods back in 1862. He had also mentioned that they were no longer alive, so she couldn't understand how the young group had anything to do with the ones from that mountain.

"Have you lost all your senses? What do they have to do with those four and you terrifying your daughter? Thinking you got yourself into a gallie with Scuttlers or-or that Monkey Parade mob, gang, whatever they may call themselves; how could you do that to her? To me?"

"No darling, you do not understand...these..." he paused for a moment as he tried to think of a lie when Hermione took a step forward with a large smile on her lips.

"We're relatives of them..." she quickly claimed. "I'm Hermione, named after my mothers' cousins' mother, and...and these are my friends" she stated with an outstretched arm while pointing behind her with her free hand. "You must be Mary-Ann?" she smiled sweetly.

"Forgive me, child, but...you're completely filthy" the dark-haired woman stated with a raised brow, though never took the brunettes' hand as she looked her up and down.

"Oh, uh..." the bookworm spoke gently while lowering her arm. "I'm-I'm sorry, I-"

"Why are you so dirty-why are they so dirty?" she turned to Caleb, who gulped loudly. "I thought better of you, Caleb. First, you scare our poor daughter half to death where she literally feared for your life! She was about to come marching back in here to save you from strangers if I hadn't convinced her to put your gun back in your Study drawer! You know how stubborn and valiant she can be, why would you put her through that? Forcing her to return home with no such information as to why you behaved strangely, and now you allow the kin of those who saved you, walk around as if they have been living on the streets for days!"

"We're actually new to town" Blaise lied, "and found ourselves in a bit a rough spot with nowhere to stay. We were all born here but haven't lived in this area for years; not since we were all tots in-"

"How do you even know they are really the family of those people?" she interrupted rather quickly as she spoke sternly to her husband.

"I just do, darling. And-and they are practically the epitome of their relatives" he answered frantically, continuing the lie Hermione had started.

"Are you certain?" she demanded while crossing her arms and tapping her foot impatiently on the hard floor. "You are confident enough that we can trust them and what they say?"

"Without a doubt...I'm sorry, my love, I-I was in a state of shock. They reminded me so much of the ones from Pennsylvania that I-I did not think."

"You are damn right you did not think!" she scolded with a pointing finger. "You will apologize to Lucy as soon as we get home...And you..." she turned back to the foursome, who feared she may reprimand them as well. "Have you eaten?" she smiled kindly, reminding both Hermione and Ginny of Molly Weasley after she had just finished lecturing one of her sons and Harry just arrived.

"I...What?" Draco spoke in bewilderment as he was expecting her to yell at them for stepping foot into her establishment covered in soot and tracking mud all over her clean-ish floors.

"Have you eaten?" she repeated. "Lord knows you all need baths!" she claimed while glancing sourly at their disheveled state. "And by the looks of the pies on the floor with the broken plates, that will cost money to replace," she shot a knowing look at Caleb, "I am to assume you all are starving?"

"Uh...Y-yes...ma'am" Draco replied nervously. "I mean no we haven't eaten and are hungry..."

"Please, my dear child, call me Mary-Ann. Ma'am is far too proper and makes me feel old. Caleb, fix these nice people something warm to eat while I draw baths and show them to their rooms. A proper rest and some clean clothes should help you feel better."

"Yes, my love!" Caleb answered promptly before scurrying off to the kitchens to whip up dinner for four.

"T-Thank you..." the girls replied in unison as the boys nodded in agreement.

"You are most welcome. Any relative or friend of those from my husbands' past, are friends of our family. Now, if you would, follow me."

As they began to follow the elder Wolf, Hermione clandestinely pulled out her wand and repaired the broken plates on the floor before heading up the darkened stairway with the others. Mary-Ann lit a rather large handheld lantern, seated on a table just shy of the landing, and began to walk down the short hallway with bare wooden walls and a single dark blue runner.

"We only have three rooms available, seeing as Walter has occupied the fourth bedroom, so two of you will have to share. There is only one full bed per room, I'm afraid. Mattresses are expensive and we are tight on money at the moment. Summer has passed and we are arriving into the slow season. Should pick up 'round the holidays, however. I hope that is not a problem..."

"I um...I-I don't mind sharing with someone..." Hermione anxiously stated as she delicately played with the tips of her fingers. She didn't want to be alone just yet and feared she would have horrid nightmares if she wasn't sleeping next to one of her friends. She didn't really care which of the three stayed, but she did wish Draco would want to.

"I'll stay with you" Ginny volunteered as Hermione produced a faux smile. "That is, if Blondie's okay with it" she claimed while glancing briefly at Draco. "W-we haven't really had a chance to talk in, um, in a few days. I'd like to catch up if that's alright with you both. And of course, you as well, Blaise."

"Works for me..." the bookworm replied, realizing the redhead was right and she really did need to talk to Ginny about so many things.

"I will miss your warmth, but I completely understand, darlin" the dark-haired wizard claimed with a gentle grin before everyone turned their attention to the Slytherin Prince.

Draco gazed back and forth at all the eyes staring at him and gulped slightly when he realized they were waiting on him to respond. As much as he wanted to spend the night with his Gryffindor witch, he knew he couldn't. There was a reason he was avoiding sharing a bed with her since they had become official, and he was fully aware that Hermione wanted more from him...He just couldn't give it to her...yet. It wasn't so much that he wasn't ready to bed her or that she wasn't over her trauma from the last era; what it honestly came down to was respect. He simply wasn't going to have sex with her until he knew she felt the same way he did. But to know that, he had to be able to say the three little words he was having such a hard time admitting aloud, and of course, being the type of person that he was, he wanted to be the first one to say it. Although, he wouldn't complain if the wavy-haired witch said it first.

"Yeah-uh...It-it's alright with me" he proclaimed while placing his hands in his pockets and weakly smiling. "You ladies catch up" he nodded as Blaise eyed him curiously.

"Very well" Mary-Ann beamed and opened the first door for the girls. "Caleb should be up within the hour with a nice warm meal and I will set up a bath for each of you. One at a time though, as we only have one tub. The night is not too late so, you all should be able to head to bed cleaned up with a full belly. I will also have Lucy bring some clothing of mine and my husbands' for you to sleep in.

"After a good night's rest, I will request that you all arrive at our home at eight in the morning sharp, for breakfast. I will have no fuss about it, yah hear. It's just out the back of the kitchen; you can't miss it. Then following a delicious meal, if you would like to go shopping for clothing of your own, I will have Lucy show you around town since you are new to the area. I will say, however, it is not the best of times right now. There is a mad man walking these streets and the city is downright disgusting. I can't exactly say how it all tumbled so quickly but we are living in dangerous times and food for most is scarce."

"We appreciate your hospitality" Hermione delicately stated, "and we'll pay for the rooms and of course, the food."

"There is no need. Your families have done more for mine than you can ever imagine. If not for them, I would not have my wonderful loving husband or such a strong-willed beautiful daughter. I owe your ancestors everything...and since Caleb has mentioned to me once before, how they had perished not long after that horrid fire, I shall pass my thanks on to their kin."

"Please" Draco spoke softly, "let me pay for the rooms. I know times are hard and I think I can speak for everyone when I say we don't want to burden you by taking free rooms that others can pay for. I have the money and it won't impede my pockets. If you don't take the money, I will have no choice but to give it to Caleb or Lucy."

"Very well..." Mary-Ann sighed while crossing her hands in front of her, eerily similar to Draco's own mother, and it threw him off slightly when he realized how much she resembled her. Not that she looked anything like Narcissa Malfoy, it was her mannerism and the way she held herself that was so much like the woman probably frantic of his disappearance. Though he wasn't sure if he was comparing the two because of how alike they were, or if it was because he missed his mother more than words could say.

"Thank you" he stated with a small smile. "I'll give you the money first thing in the morning. Right now, I think we could all use a good night's rest and a wash."

"I will start on warming the water. Please get comfortable and leave your soiled clothing outside your doors. I will have Lucy-Jean see that they are cleaned by morning."

"You don't have to do that" Ginny began but was quickly cut off by Marry-Ann, who raised a hand to stop her.

"I will not hear of it. I will also have Lucy check you over as well. She's studying to become a nurse and is working closely with Evelyn, another nurse who works for Doctor Hammond down the street, for hands-on experience, and can treat these mysterious cuts and bruises you all have."

"Alright..." Blaise chimed in, knowing that trying to protest against Caleb's wife's help was not going to happen and it was easier to just give in.

"Perfect! Now, off to bed, all of you. I will retrieve each of you when your bath is ready."

With that being said, she finished showing the boys to their rooms after the girls had waved them good night, before heading down the stairs in order to assist her husband and talk to him privately. As Hermione and Ginny settled in and Blaise quickly stripped to his boxers in his room, Draco studied the almost bare quarters with his hands in his pockets. A single long wooden dresser stood in the middle of the wall to his left as the full-sized coiled-spring mattress, which laid upon a metal frame, sat to the right against the far corner of the room. It wasn't the luxury accommodations he was used to back home, but after sleeping on the hard ground and on uncomfortable cots for however long they had been trapped in the past, he was grateful to have any bed in that moment.

The sheets seemed clean enough, so he slowly began to undress and neatly fold his clothes before setting them outside his door. He then hesitantly sat down on the bed and ran his fingers down his face before gazing up at the rusty oval mirror hanging above the dresser. Standing from the creaking bed, he began to look himself over at all the bruises covering his torso and legs, leftover from his scuffle with Blaise and the fight to live back in Gettysburg, before grabbing his wand from off the mattress, and healing a few of the injuries so Lucy wasn't suspicious. He left the cuts and contusions on his face and would refuse to allow the muggle to examine anything more than she should. He didn't even want her looking him over in the first place, but they were all now forced to comply, and he wasn't about to wipe the memories of an ancestor in fear that it could mess with the timeline. Last thing any of them needed was a butterfly effect and he wasn't about to screw his family over just to avoid being nursed like a weak git.

After about an hour of waiting, Caleb finally arrived with a plate of Beef Wellington surrounded by sliced fried potatoes and a pair of worn cotton trousers with a plain white linen shirt. He had a sullen smile on his face when Draco opened the door to greet him, causing the blonde to raise a curious brow as the muggle stared at him in bewilderment.

"I apologize, Draco" he spoke softly after clearing his throat, "it's still so strange to see you all again, especially since you look exactly the same as you did twenty-five years ago. I also did not expect you would be meeting my wife so quickly and under these circumstances. I tried to explain the situation a bit further without revealing everything and I think she bought the lies, but it breaks my heart to hide things from her in such a way. Do not get me wrong, however, I am thrilled to see you, but not like this..."

"Hey, it's fine, Caleb. I understand. We are in this just as much as you are. Though, I have been wondering why you told Tala about...well...all of us and not Mary-Ann? It would make things easier on you and I know we would all be okay with it."

"Because I lost her..." he replied with a small shrug and watery eyes. "I...I can't go through that again. That pain...it was unbearable. After what happened in the woods on that mountain, I realized I could never tell anyone about magic ever. I finally found happiness again and I am not willing to risk my family to ease my conscious. My sins are my own. I will not place that burden on anyone else nor do I blame any of you for Tala's death and what happened to me...Anyway...I-I brought you some clothing. I felt it was more appropriate for me to bring them to you rather than Lucy Jean having to see you almost naked. I'm sure Hermione wouldn't like it so much either" he stated causing both of them to lightly chuckle.

"No, I don't think she would" Draco claimed with a gentle smile. "Neither of us want her hexing me for allowing it to happen. But please know that she would never hurt your daughter. None of us would and we are just as upset that you can't guide us through this era. Not that we want you to get hurt or anything" he quickly declared with a raised hand.

"I understand what you mean." Caleb lowered his head as he stared at the items in his hand while doing his best to hold back the sadness filling his heart and soul. He would give anything to take his daughter's place but unfortunately, the amulet, and his own ancestor, had other ideas.

"Are you going to be alright, Caleb?" the Prince questioned sympathetically after the pair stood in the door frame for a brief moment in silence.

"I don't really have much of a choice, do I" he replied while glancing up into the soft grey eyes of the Slytherin. "Please" he began to plead with a trembling lip as a tear slipped from his lashes, "please look out for her. I can't lose her too. She's my world, my life...You'll understand when you get older and have children of your own one day-"

"I may not have children right now, Caleb, but I do know what you mean. Hermione is everything to me. I..." he paused for a few seconds as he faintly chuckled and shook his head. "I never thought in a million years, I could ever care about anyone but myself, let alone care about someone like Hermione...I was taught to hate people with her blood and, for a while, I thought I did hate her, or at least wanted to. She was never supposed to give me a chance after the shite I put her through over the years, but...she saw something in me and whatever it was, I couldn't be more thankful. I know back on that mountain you told me to allow her to decide what's best, but..."

"You are too protective of her. Much like I am with Lucy" the brunette muggle sighed. "You love her, and you would do anything to keep her safe...Which is why I am...begging you-"

"I will do everything in my power to keep Lucy out of harm's way, no matter the trial" he cut in strongly. "We will all do our best to protect her like she was our own family, you hear?"

"Thank you..."

"Don't thank me, Caleb. I owe you everything for helping me get Hermione off that battlefield."

"Actually, I think we both should be thanking each other" Caleb chortled. "If not for me aiding you, then you most likely would have killed the lot of that army and caused a large irreversible butterfly effect that could have very well resulted in many important people not being born at all."

"True" the blonde ticked. "But I didn't, and still don't, care about those men or their offspring. If I had to save her all over again I would do it the same way every time. Hermione comes first, and you're right, if you didn't help us, I would have killed them all. The same goes for Ginny and for Blaise. It's one thing for something to happen with me, it's a whole 'nother story when it comes to my family...But nevertheless, I want you to know that your child is in good hands. No harm will come to her if I can help it."

Nodding his head, Caleb weakly smirked as he glanced to the floor and Draco realized he was still standing in the open doorway, in just his white boxers, having a deep conversation with the aged man he once knew and looked up to. However, before either of them could mutter a word, the door down the hall opened, in direct view of his bedroom on the opposite end, as Hermione stepped out in a white cotton nightgown. She was looking downward as she used the towel in her hand to scrunch the water from her hair before her gaze rose and landed on the two men standing almost fifty feet away from her. Pausing mid-scrunch, she briefly gawked at the sculptured Seeker build of the blonde's body before quickly lowering her sight and rushing to her room.

"Well..." Caleb ticked with a large grin, "it appears someone fancied what she saw" he claimed while pinching his lips inward and turning back to Draco, who continued to stare at the bathroom door as if the brunette bookworm was still there. "Seems she's doing much better than when I saw her last" he stated happily, but quickly noticed how the Slytherin wasn't listening to him. "Draco...? Friend?" Draco immediately shook his head to remove the stunned daze from his face and turned his attention back to Caleb, who tilted his head and pursed his lips cheerfully.

"Sorry. Wh-what uh, what were you saying?"

"May I come in?"

"Y-yeah, of course..." Draco stepped aside and allowed Caleb entrance. Once the muggle had entered, he closed the door before walking over to the bed and taking a seat.

"I'm going to only say this once, so please listen carefully" the greying-haired brunette declared gently as Draco narrowed his brows in confusion and Caleb began setting the food and clothing still in his hands, on the dresser. "You need to stop this. Stop letting your past hold you back, stop allowing fear to control you, and for Gods' sake, friend, please just tell her you love her already. It's painfully obvious you do."

"I-I don't know how" he admitted sullenly while running his fingers through his hair.

"What do you mean you don't know how? It's easy. Just waltz up to her and tell her" Caleb claimed while leaning back on the dresser and crossing his arms in front of him. "Unless you plan to carry out some grand gesture and buy her flowers, which she doesn't seem like the type of woman to care about things like that."

"It's not that simple" the blonde declared as he rested his elbows on his thighs. "Every time I think I can say it to her, my...my heart beats a mile a minute and-and my hands become sweaty; my voice cracks and I feel like a large stone is stuck in my throat. I was never taught to love anyone. Yes, my mother showed me affection when I was younger, but the older I got, the less love I was shown. I-I feel like I chained myself in a cellar built out of failure and shame and..." he paused as his jaw quivered and he tried to think of the right words to describe his emotions about the topic.

"You feel like you're standing on a ledge above a fall you can't face..."

"Yeah...exactly like that..."

"I suppose I shall admit that that is how I felt with Tala. I love my wife, I do, I truly do, but...Tala held, and will always hold, my heart. You never forget your first love, Draco. If I would have known Hermione was yours, I would not have pressed you so hard. I apologize."

"I want to tell her" the Slytherin claimed while raising his gaze to Caleb's sympathetic eyes. "She deserves to know. Except...I can't help but wonder why she hasn't said it yet. I know she wants more from me and I-I desperately want to give in and provide her with what she's seeking, but the idea that she hasn't said it yet to me, makes me even more anxious to tell her."

"It is alright that you are scared, Draco. However, have you given any thought to the fact that she may feel the same way you do right now? Scared because you haven't said it yet either?"

"Not really, actually."

"I think you're being too hard on yourself, friend. You are not the first person to feel like they are crumbling when it comes time to saying those three little words that have such a large impact on the heart. Trauma and fear have gotten you this far in life and in the past, mate...Though now you must allow trust to take you further. Trust that you can say the words, trust that you truly view Hermione as the one you want to give your life to, and trust your heart. Everyone can have more than one soulmate in life; however, you can only have one first love. I do believe the beautiful woman, who trusted you to save her and has saved you in more ways than one, is that love for you.

"Although, I will admit that saying it for the first time is...it's painful. Painful because you are lowering your walls and your armor and allowing someone to finally see the real you. But, Draco...Hermione wouldn't have given you a chance if she didn't already know who you really are. I feel that is what she saw in you. She is your gravity, keeping you from falling over the ledge you can't face. There is not a doubt in my mind that she would not accept your love and reciprocate. It will be hard, there is no denying it, but all you have to do is take that step and see where it leads you. Take that leap of faith, friend, and break down your shields."

Lowering his arms, Caleb leaned off the dresser and began walking towards the door. Placing his hand on the knob, he slowly turned back to the blonde staring unseeingly at the floor and sighed softly.

"If you don't learn to get out of your own hell, Draco, you'll forever regret not saying it. We only have so much time on this earth...Do not let regret in; it's a bitch of an enemy to live with. Trust me, I know the feeling all too well. I didn't marry Tala when I had the chance and I wasn't there to protect her because I went hunting...instead of staying behind when she asked me not to go...

"If you love someone, then say it, and you say it loud. Reap the repercussions later. I promise you a weight will be lifted, and you will never have to live with the regret that will haunt me until the day I die. And that amulet...and the past...they are not your enemy. The only person standing in your way...is you. Lower your walls, Draco, let her in, and you will see how much your love for her can actually grow."

With that being said, Caleb softly smiled as water once more filled his eyes, turned back to the door, and walked out, leaving the Slytherin Prince alone to contemplate everything the elder muggle had spoken to him.

XX

An hour after Caleb had left the Malfoy heir alone to take everything in, Draco had barely touched the food that was provided for him when a soft knock echoed off the wooden door, causing the tall blonde to remove himself from the bed where he laid, and open the entryway.

"Hey, mate..." Blaise began gleefully, apparently happy to finally be clean of the filth that still covered Draco's body. However, his smile started to fade when he noticed how torn his best friend appeared. "Something on your mind? Want to talk about it?"

"No," Draco claimed while producing a faux smile. "I was just thinking about everything and you know, sleeping alone for the first time in, Merlin knows how long."

"I lost track of the time too. It's hard to keep up when we're involuntarily time hopping all over the place" the dark-haired wizard chuckled slightly. "But I understand the sleeping alone part. None of us have been separated from each other since all of this began. It's strange honestly; I walked into my room earlier thinking I finally get to have a space all to myself, only to realize how much I missed all of you. I have a strong feeling it's going to be a long night of tossing and turning. If you want, we can bunk together. I can see if Mary-Ann is alright with me bringing my bed in here, or yours in mine if you prefer?"

"That's alright, mate. I-I think some alone time would be good for us; healthy even. We won't always be with each other once we return home...Whenever that is."

"True...Well I uh, I came over to let you know the tub is now all yours and Lucy will be up shortly to look us all over. Though I already healed most of my battle wounds, for Red's sake. Don't want her getting jealous or anything" Blaise chuckled again.

"Same. No one needs the girls acting like us if a bloke was examining them instead" he weakly grinned. "But uh, thanks for letting me know. I'll head out shortly." However, as soon as Draco was about to close the door and grab the garments Caleb had given him, Blaise, who had turned to walk away, stopped in his tracks and rotated back with a deep sigh.

"Listen, um...I-I think we all know this era is not meant for me..."

"You thought about that too...?"

"Yeah, I just...I haven't had a chance to talk with Red yet about it, but I know that it's her turn. It's killing me to know and I-"

"We'll look out for her, Blaise" he quickly cut in. "I promise. Whatever her test is we will get through it together."

"I know. It's just that...I really care about her and I-I don't know what I'm going to do if she gets hurt."

"I get it, Blaise. Trust me, if anyone gets it, it's me."

"Okay...I-I'm sorry for bothering you right now, especially so soon after Hermione's trial."

"Don't worry about it, mate."

"Did...did Hermione talk to you yet?" the Italian asked anxiously.

"About what?"

"About how the square appeared...about what she had to do to complete her test...?"

"No...I-I wasn't really planning on asking her, to be honest. I didn't want to bring up what happened as the wounds are still fresh for all of us" Draco claimed with a shrug of his shoulder.

"She had to ask for help..." he confessed. "She begged me to help take Tala out of her grasp because she finally learned she can't do everything on her own...I thought you should know because it was me she asked, when we both know it should have been you."

"It doesn't matter who she asked, Blaise. The important thing is that she's alright and made it out alive. Red will too, you know. She's just as strong as Hermione."

"I believe you; I just hate that it has to happen. Anyway," he cleared his throat and began to point behind him with his thumb, "I'll let you get cleaned up" he declared before turning to walk towards his bedroom.

"Blaise," Draco called out when his friend reached the door, "if-if you feel you want to talk later or whatever, my door is always open..."

"Thanks, mate..." the Italian faintly smiled.

"Anytime..."

After Blaise had closed his bedroom door behind him, Draco heavily sighed before grabbing his clothing from off the dresser and began walking down the hall towards the bathroom. Once entering the small facility, he took in the room and was surprisingly shocked to see a valve-less toilet seated next to a sink that was placed across from a porcelain tub filled with steaming water, waiting for him to relax in it. A white cotton towel was placed on a bar attached to the wall behind the bathtub for him to dry off when he was finished, and a fresh bar of soap sat on the ledge of the sink.

Removing his boxers, he set them on the floor and casually stepped into the warm water, causing him to sigh in delight when the liquid covered his calf and soothed his aching muscle. Slipping all the way in, Draco leaned back and allowed the water to alleviate the pain, he didn't even know his body was feeling, and closed his eyes as he began to relax. However, while his mind wandered over the most recent events that had occurred in the last twenty-four hours, his thoughts somehow kept veering back to his conversation with Caleb and the moment between himself and his witch in the woods of the South Mountain.

Albeit, he tried to distract himself by washing his body with the bar of soap to rid the dirt, while the conversation with the aging muggle slowly started to fade from his head. In its place, he began to remember the feeling of Hermione's lips on his as she entwined her fingers through his hair, causing a pleasurable sensation to run through his veins as a soft groan escaped his lips.

He continued to think about how she looked beneath him and how he desperately wished he would have bedded her, so to speak, then and there while his dick grew stiff and started pulsating, forcing him to groan louder as he grabbed his member below the water that covered his body. As he began to pump his hand up and down against himself, the warm liquid started to flow with his movements as the image of caressing Hermione's petal-like skin engulfed his mind. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't stop thinking about her and quickened his pace as he pictured her stark naked below him.

His mind remained fixed on the Golden Girl and how he envisioned her peaked mounds bouncing up and down as he pounded into her over and over again; her delicious moans in his ear whilst demanding for him to go faster as beads of sweat covered her forehead. He couldn't get enough and found himself pumping his cock harder and faster, causing water to spill on to the small rug to the side of the tub. Ignoring the mess, he was making across the bathroom floor, Draco's toes began to curl as his body stiffened and the picture of him spilling his seed into his woman engulfed every part of his mind. Tightening his grip on his hardened length, he squeezed his eyes shut, and climaxed the best masturbating orgasm he had ever felt before while trying to muffle the loud moan begging to escape his throat.

Releasing the painstaking hold he had on his bottom lip, and the grasp he had firmly around his dick, Draco breathed heavily and slowly opened his eyes, realizing what he had just done. Knowing that he needed more, he decided then and there he was going to find the right moment to tell Hermione his feelings regardless of how terrified he felt. Although he was fully aware that it was easier said than done.

Reaching for his wand that he had set on the edge of the sink, he cleaned up the mess on the floor and in the tub before finishing his bath and removing himself from the water. Once he was dressed, he left the bathroom and began to walk down the hall when he stopped in front of the girl's bedroom and found himself knocking lightly on the door. When he couldn't hear any signs of movement or even indistinct chatter, he was about to walk away thinking Hermione and Ginny were asleep, when the door suddenly opened, and Hermione smiled brightly before stepping outside and closing the entryway behind her.

"Hey!" she pipped, a little too joyfully, realizing how excited she was to see her wizard, even though it had only been a few hours since their last encounter. "H-how are you?"

"I'm okay" he smiled warmly and went to place his hands in his pockets when he remembered he didn't have any. Awkwardly trying to find a place for his hands, he simply crossed his arms as Hermione raised a brow and softly giggled, causing butterflies to form in the Princes' upper abdomen.

"What are you doing here? Did you eat?" she questioned sweetly.

"A little. I wasn't really hungry once I got in my room" he shrugged as his dick began to once again grow within his trousers and he had to look away from her perfect features for a moment to calm his hard-on and to prevent himself from pinning the bookworm to the wall.

"Are you alright? Perhaps you should finish your meal. It's been awhile since we last ate" she stated while leaning over to look him in the eye. "Draco-"

"I..." he began but the words he wanted to say, wouldn't come.

"What is it?" she inquired, however, as Draco gazed back up at her, the want and the need to be close to her encompassed him and he couldn't control himself any longer. Hermione gasped as she felt her back roughly hit the wall behind her and felt the full weight of the blonde pressing up against her as he kissed her hard.

His fingers entwined in her curls as he greedily snogged her and for a split second she was back in Gettysburg. Opening her eyes widely as she pushed hard on his chest, Draco quickly backed off when he understood why she was pushing him away.

"Oh, Gods! Hermione, I-Salazar I'm so sorry, I-I didn't think about-I'm sorry. I'm so so sorry." Gazing up at the panicking Prince, Hermione's breath was ragged as she pulled herself from the nightmare flashing before her eyes, before looking to the ground in confusion. "Please forgive me, Princess, I-I-I completely forgot for a moment. I just...I don't know, I-"

"Draco, it's okay. I'm okay. You just surprised me is all..."

"I didn't mean to, love, I really didn't."

Understanding that she was fine and was safe with the Malfoy heir, she took a step forward while he frantically ran his fingers through his wet hair and reached out to him. Timidly eyeing her in fear that she would freak out if he touched her, he waited for her to make contact first before relaxing his shoulders as she smiled up at him. She didn't say a word as she searched his grey eyes, and instead reached up and pulled him into a searing kiss. As long as she knew she was in control she would be okay, but as she pressed hard into the blonde, she felt his reluctance and slowly pulled away slightly.

"What's wrong? Draco, I told you I was fine..."

"I don't want to scare you..." he whispered while studying her beautiful brown irises.

"I was caught off guard. But, Draco, I know I'm safe with you...You're my armor, my safety net. You could never scare me...Please kiss me..." she pleaded, knowing she needed to feel his skin against hers in order to rid the nightmares from her mind; needed him to want her. "I missed you and...I don't want to be afraid when I close my eyes or when you want to, I don't know, get aggressive. If I know it's you, I'm okay..."

"Are you sure, Hermione?"

"Please kiss me..." she implored as he searched for any signs that she was not alright. When she simply gazed into his eyes, he knew he had to give in and show her he was not a threat; that he was willing to do whatever she needed to feel a hundred percent normal again.

Quickly grabbing her shoulders, while never removing his gaze from hers', he pinned her against the wall behind him and pressed his body firmly against her to prevent her from running away. He didn't kiss her just yet and waited until the initial shock wore off before cupping her cheek and caressing her delicate skin with his thumb, allowing her to take in what was happening. When she reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck, he smirked ever so slightly as he felt her pull his face closer to hers. He could feel her warm breath hitting his lips and opened his mouth to utter the words, which felt so easy to say in that moment, but was quickly cut off when she placed her lips against his. She then lifted her body up to wind her legs around his waist as his arms encircled her upper body; her back still compressed against the wall behind her while her nightgown bunched around her waist.

The passionate kiss grew deeper as Hermione held on to Draco tightly, and felt a flutter grow between her legs as their tongues danced with one another and her want for him increased ten-fold. Unfortunately, the moment only lasted a few seconds before the door to her bedroom opened and Lucy Jean gasped in surprise with a hand clasped against her chest, causing Ginny to rush over in a panic.

"Jesus, Mary, and Joseph!" she expressed with a laugh. "If I would have known you two were out here snogging the living death out of each other, I would have stayed in the room" she giggled as Draco quickly set his witch down and Hermione hastily fixed her nightgown. "My apologies for the interruption."

"In the hallway?" Ginny added with a shake of her head and rolled her eyes as she snickered loudly. "Really? Blondie's room is like twenty feet away." Hermione's cheeks flushed in embarrassment as she glanced off to the right and Draco was at a loss for words.

"I-I-I'm just gonna-I'm gonna go to my room now" he claimed in a mixture of embarrassment from being caught and nervousness because he honestly couldn't think of a snarky comeback.

"Oh, no you don't...Blondie, is it?" Lucy teasingly questioned before looking back to Ginny for confirmation.

"It's Draco, actually" he retorted in annoyance.

"Right, Blondie" she stated while pinching her lips inwards to stifle a laugh. "Since you're here, I might as well look over those bruises on your face so we can avoid the awkwardness of being alone in your room as you try to pretend I didn't catch you and your bird snogging as if it was the last kiss either of ya'll would ever have and I don't have ter' make small talk just to deter from the fact that you have a large neddy bulging from your sit-upons right now" she claimed in a single breath as Draco raised a perplexed brow. She then pointed to his lower region with her eyes as she crossed her arms and an unsettling quiet filled the air.

"What?" he expressed as he and everyone else standing around him, glanced down at the hardened bulge in his trousers. Swiftly covering himself up in mortification, he hastily rushed back to the bathroom as Hermione furrowed her brows and scowled at the two women giggling in the door frame.

"Are you two serious right now?" she scolded, forcing the girls smiles to quickly vanish and Lucy to sigh, stand up straight while uncrossing her arms, and walk over to the bathroom where she could hear the tall blonde cursing loudly at himself.

"What is going on out here?" Blaise cut in just as the light-haired muggle was about to knock on the door, while he poked his head out of his room and stared at the three girls standing in the hallway.

"Draco and Hermione were caught canoodling in the hall and then Lucy pointed out his raging bone, so he ran to the loo in embarrassment" Ginny replied with a giggle as she leaned a shoulder on the frame of the entryway and began to examine her nails.

"Honestly, Red, have a little bit more compassion for the man!" he chastised while stepping out of his room and walking down the hall towards where Lucy was standing. "Unbelievable! All of you!"

"Hey, I'm not the one who was caught!" Ginny expressed with a hint of anger in her voice.

"No, but you're the one making Draco feel ashamed for something he can't necessarily control!" he snapped, causing Ginny to lower her hand and frown. "Gods, Ginny! Do you ever think before just doing something?"

"What has gotten into you?" she asked in befuddlement. "I wasn't the one jesting him. I just laughed at the situation like anyone else would have done."

"That is just as bad!"

"Blaise, what is wrong?" Hermione queried, knowing that what had happened wasn't a good enough reason for him to flip out the way he was. She knew Draco would be fine in the morning and laugh it off because they were all friends who could joke about anything. She honestly couldn't understand why Blaise was so angry.

"Nothing!" he claimed while pressing his tongue against the inside of his bottom lip. "Like always, everything is just bloody fine" he declared before turning to the door and knocking on it. Draco reluctantly opened the wooden barrier with a sharp exhale and was slightly thrown back to see Blaise standing in front of him as the woman stared at the dark-skinned wizard in disbelief.

"Uhhhh...Did I miss something?" the blonde questioned with a raised brow.

"Apparently, Blaise needs to check his attitude!" Ginny scoffed before storming back into her room and slamming the door closed.

"What the fuck?" Draco mumbled under his breath.

"Are you alright?" the Italian asked in annoyance.

"I'm fine, mate. Shite happens. Yeah, it would be better if no one saw...that, but I would have laughed too if it didn't happen to me-Wh-what is going on? It's not that serious. Why are you getting your knickers in a twist? It's not like you're the one who was caught with a bone in his trousers."

"Forget it! I'm going to bed!"

With that being said, Blaise quickly rotated on his heel and stormed back to his room as Draco, Hermione, and Lucy all stared at his closed door in utter confusion.

"Can someone please fill me in on what the fuck happened in less than two minutes of me being gone?" the Slytherin Prince demanded as he stepped out of the bathroom.

"I feel I have upset your friend" Lucy stated in a slight shock. "I-I did not mean to offend anyone. I was simply jesting. I did not know a joke would turn into...this."

"Umm..." the Malfoy heir began while softening his shoulders in understanding. "Listen, um, Lucy...Can you look at my face in the morning? I need to go talk to him."

"Yes...I think that is best. I do apologize, I-I did not mean for this to happen" she replied dejectedly.

"It's not you or even anything any of you did. He's going through a lot right now and I think it's all finally catching up to him. He's normally the rational one. Give me the night to speak with him and in the morning everything should be okay."

"Alright..." the muggle ancestor spoke low. "I wish you all a good night then. Cheers."

"I'm sorry, Lucy" Hermione stated drearily as the girl began to walk past her.

"Do not fret, Hermione. Like Blondie said, shite happens" she smiled before bowing her head and making her way down the stairs.

Draco exhaled sharply as he tilted his head back and rested both hands on the base of his neck, pulling Hermione's attention to him as she tilted her own head and slumped her shoulders.

"What is wrong with Blaise, Draco? Should I go and talk to him as well?"

"It might help, honestly" he stated while he lowered his hands, walked up to his Princess, and placed a soft kiss upon her forehead. "This is not how I wanted things to go tonight" he chuckled ever so gently while Hermione gave him a knowing look, forcing him to come clean as to why Blaise was acting like a nutter. "He knows this era is for Red and he's afraid, which he has every right to be."

"So, he believes that her rash decision making, and carelessness, is what the amulet wants to change?"

"Precisely..."

The bookworm stayed quiet for a few seconds as she thought about how right the boys were. Ginny was careless, but she hadn't always been that way. She didn't begin to act so reckless until after Fred died, which was the main reason she allowed the redhead to get away with so much. However, now she began to wonder if the negligence was still due to grieving the loss of her brother or if Ginny had simply adopted the trait.

"How about I talk to him tonight and if I can't calm him, then you can take over in the morning?"

"Maybe we could both talk to him?" he suggested, knowing how callous his best friend could be when angered, and he didn't want Hermione to feel the Italians' wrath when he finally released the pent-up fury he tried so hard to constantly contain. "Blaise is usually pretty passive and the one to settle conflicts, but I know he has a lot of anger he's suppressing. Normally he's great at not letting things get to him, but...he really cares about her and is worried, and I don't want him taking his frustrations out on you."

"I can handle it" she smiled delicately. "After all, I am a Gryffindor and I've already faced you when you're pissed off. How much worse can he be?"

"I yell when I'm enraged, love, but Blaise...Blaise doesn't. He uses his words and they can cut you swift and deep. We are not the same when it comes to being mad. His words are like a deadly knife."

"I'll be fine. If I really need you, I'll scream. How's that? After I hex him, of course" she chuckled while wrapping her arms around her Princes' waist and gazing up into his soft ocean-grey eyes.

"You scream and I'll come running. I'll be there before you can even utter my name, you hear" he grinned while placing his fingers under her chin and placing a delicate kiss upon her lips.

"Go finish your dinner and head to bed" she demanded with a large smile before walking out of his embrace. "I want to see a clean plate in the morning when I come to wake you."

"I look forward to that, my dear Princess" he winked, causing her cheeks to flush as she stood outside Blaise's door with a wide grin.

"Go to bed, you. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Good night, love" he claimed while walking passed her, but not before placing another kiss upon her soft lips and heading to his room.

"Good night, Draco..." she replied as he grinned and closed the wooden barrier separating them. "I love you..." she whispered to the empty hall, keeping her voice low so that no one else would hear what her heart was truly feeling.


	24. Admittance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **You all have me very worried about your well-being during this pandemic. I have not heard from a lot of my regular commenters and you have me scared. Please reach out to me in some manner to let me know you’re alright and that you haven’t gotten sick…or arrested for murdering the person you’re quarantined with. Anyway, I apologize for the delay, but this chapter had to be absolutely perfect for you guys as it is probably one of the most important and also the longest of all the chapters in this story so far. I hope you guys enjoy it! I am trying really hard to make sure 25 is not delayed as well, however, I still can’t make any promises. To those who have won, you characters make their debut in this chapter and will show up again in later ones as well! I hope I brought them to life the way you imagined. If there are any changes you would like me to make for them, please PM me. As always, XOXO**
> 
> **For piano performance near the end in order on YouTube (If you want to picture it better. It’s just the piano version of the songs):**
> 
> /watch?v=9mtgtvnNKY4
> 
> /watch?v=HhjPiwhX_i4

_“I'm tugging at my hair, I'm pulling at my clothes, I'm trying to keep my cool, I know it shows, I'm staring at my feet, My cheeks are turning red, I'm searching for the words inside my head”_

_Things I’ll Never Say- Avril Lavigne_

Chapter 24- Admittance

**September of 1888**

Draco groggily awoke to a heavy pressure resting on his chest and stomach, making it a tad difficult to breathe as wet kisses suddenly covered his face and neck. He was aware as to who was trying to stir him and was reluctant to fully wake up as he loved the feeling of her weight lying upon his torso. After all, it was better than any useless alarm given to him as a gift over the years, or one of his friends abruptly shaking him in the morning when he refused to get out of bed for class.

Slowly snaking his hands around Hermione’s upper body, the Slytherin held her close as she continued to peck him all over and grinned happily as he kept his eyes closed in fear that if he opened them…she would disappear. Lying in bed with the bookworm in his arms seemed practically impossible not that long ago, let alone getting to wake up with her kissing him repeatedly, and the last thing he wanted was to find out he had been dreaming her the entire time.

“Good morning, sleepyhead” she smiled as Draco groaned and reached up to wipe his hand down his face, grateful she wasn’t just an illusion in his head. While stretching an arm above his head, Hermione laid her soft curls upon his chest in order to listen to his calm steady heartbeat; but as she got more comfortable, he could have sworn he heard a soft purr vibrate from off her lips, forcing a small smile to splay across his face.

“Now that is what I call a great way to wake up…Good morning, my Princess” he replied while kissing the top of her head delicately and finally opening his eyes. “How’d you sleep, love?”

“Fine, I suppose. Although, Ginny kept me up longer than I wanted; venting about how Blaise treated her last night.”

“How did that go…with Blaise?” he questioned as she lifted her head and rolled off his body in order to curl up next to him under the blanket.

“Good, actually. Well I mean, first I just stayed quiet while he aired out his fears and frustrations, then when he was done, I told him why she acts the way she does. We talked for about an hour and I think I got to him. He wants to apologize to both Lucy and Gin today when he sees them.”

“That’s good” he proclaimed while rubbing her arm with his left hand trapped underneath her neck. “I’m glad I didn’t have to charge in there and beat up my best friend…again” he chuckled as he turned slightly and cradled the Golden Girl in his embrace. “Mmm, I miss sleeping next to you” he admitted as he kissed her forehead and closed his eyes, getting comfortable enough that he could easily fall back to sleep if she’d let him.

“You only ever slept next to me once and that was on the hard-frozen ground of a cave thousands of years ago” she giggled. “I didn’t even know that you knew I did that…”

“I was aware, which is why I miss sleeping next to you. A few thousand years is a long time, Princess” he smirked. “And it was actually on that pirate ship that we last slept next to each other” he corrected while yawning and allowing the drowsiness to overtake him. “Remember?” he weakly stated. “You fell asleep on my lap. My tailbone went all numb and then you woke us up screaming like a bloody banshee.”

“You’re insufferable! I most definitely did not scream like a banshee. If anyone screams like that, it’s Blaise” she teased before realizing Draco was fast asleep and no longer listening to her. Lifting her head, she studied his bruised face for a moment as he held her close and smiled before pecking his lips over and over again, trying to arouse him from his shallow slumber. “Wake up, Draco” she chucked in between her soft kisses as he half grinned and pulled her closer to him.

“Can’t we just lay here for a little while longer…? Bask in the glory of nothing bad happening to any of us right now…” he sighed while burying his face in her hair.

“As much as I would love to just lay here, although I feel it would be a waste of a perfectly good day, we need to get dressed. Besides, I’m positive Mary-Ann would most likely drag us down by the ears if we’re late” she chortled into his chest. “And don’t you want to see Caleb again? We have so much to talk about with him.”

“Ugh, fine, but please don’t mention ear pulling again” he expressed with a sour face while rotating to lay on his back. “I’m still traumatized from yesterday” he jeered while releasing his hold on her for a second to rub his right ear, even though she had pulled the left the night before.

“Oh, you are such a tot!” she giggled while trying to roll out of his embrace.

“Oh, no you don’t!” he smirked while dragging her back to him, causing her to laugh and flail as he accidentally tickled her ribs. “Ticklish I see…hmm…” he taunted with a devilish grin.

“No!” she protested with widened eyes. “Don’t you dare!” she demanded in a mixture of a scowl and a large grin as he hovered over her slightly. “Draco Lucius Malfoy, I swear to God, don’t you fucking dare!”

“I love it when you curse. And I especially love it when you say my full name” he proclaimed as a matter of fact before moving his finger along her sides, tickling her mercilessly and forcing the sound of laughter, he craved to hear more than anything, to escape from her throat.

“No, no, no, no! Stop! No! Draco!” she laughed hysterically while trying to fight him off. He continued moving his hands along her body, poking and prodding any part of her body she left open and vulnerable, as she squealed with joy. Fully climbing on top of her, pinning her to the bed and preventing her from escaping his titillating wrath, he momentarily halted his movements and gazed down at the breathtaking witch beneath him. Her disheveled hair laid sprawled out across the striped pillow as the blanket that once covered them, slowly slipped from the edge of the bed and silently fell to the wood floor.

“Do it again” he ordered while leaning over her and holding her wrists tightly against the mattress he charmed clean about six times the night before.

“Do what?” she playfully leered with narrowed brows.

“Curse again,” he commanded, “and tell me that I’m the best Slytherin you have ever met.”

“Well, I mean…Blaise did make a very tempting offer to marry me on the spot if I could get us home” she joked, causing the Prince to lick his lips and scowl menacingly at his witch.

“Fuck…him” he declared sinisterly. “He can’t give you what I can. You truly want him over me? Blaise? Of all the people you could choose from, you want my best friend over me?”

Hermione was quiet for a few seconds, making Draco suddenly feel slightly uncomfortable as she removed her gaze away from his piercing grey eyes and slyly smirked.

“You’re the best Slytherin” she whispered before returning her focus back to him.

“I’m sorry, what was that? I don’t think I quite heard you right” he teased once he realized he had nothing to worry about while tilting his right ear closer towards her.

“You’re the best…fucking…Slytherin I have ever met,” she claimed with an impish smirk as Draco grinned proudly.

“And…?”

“And…I only want you.”

“That’s what I thought” he asserted before closing the gap between them and pressing his lips gently against hers while simultaneously releasing her wrists in order to cup her face. However, Hermione unexpectedly broke the kiss as she began to ruthlessly run her fingers along his sides, tickling him hard and causing him to jerk upright at the sudden feeling. Although in the midst of trying to get away from the brunette out for revenge, he leaned back a little too far and fell off the bed as the Gryffindor Princess clasped a hand over her mouth and began to laugh.

“Oh, my God!” she chortled heavily while holding her stomach as Draco glared at her, allowing her to have the win as he planned his retaliation. “Are you okay?” she questioned in between the laughter that caused her to snort, before she reached down to help him up. Although, her giggling was cut short when his hand tightly clasped around hers and she felt herself being pulled off the bed; landing on top of him with a loud gasp.

“Think that was funny, do you?” the blonde scowled jocularly as Hermione adjusted her legs in order to straddle his waist.

“I do, actually” she replied gleefully before kissing him all over his face, ecstatic he was able to let loose and joke around with her; something Ron never seemed to want to do with her.

Hermione enjoyed the idea of being able to wake her significant other in a playful manner, like she had seen countless times in movies, and felt relieved that Draco didn’t push her away like her ex used to do. In fact, he seemed to relatively enjoy kidding around and didn’t freak out like she had expected. It was like she was seeing another side of the Slytherin she never knew was there. Every day he continued to surprise her, whether it was showing a hidden talent or proving how much he cared for her, and now he was demonstrating how playful he could be. It was a side of him she loved more than anything and a side…she couldn’t get enough of.

“I could get used to that you know?”

“You could get used to a lot of things, darling” she smiled sweetly before realizing she used a pet name. She always hated when she heard people use nicknames as terms of endearment and thought they sounded childish, except of course, when her friends used sobriquets because those were different. Albeit, she figured her strong hate for the affectionate names was most likely due to Ron and Lavender’s ‘intense’ relationship sixth year. But after befriending Blaise, who called her Buttercup more often then she liked, and was now dating Draco, who made it a habit to try and call her anything except Hermione, she started to understand that not every nickname was immature sounding. And now she wondered if maybe it was who was saying them and how they spoke it, was causing her to be okay with it all.

“Darling, huh?” he smirked as a crease formed in the lines of his forehead. “First an amazing wake-up call, multiple kisses, and now I get a pet name too? You spoil me, Princess and we haven’t even had breakfast yet.”

“Don’t get used to it” she giggled, “I don’t normally do pet names. And as for rousing you from your blissful slumber, Blaise mentioned last night, when I told him my plan, how you can be extremely grumpy in the morning. Which now that I think about it, explains your attitude when we arrived in Jamestown.”

“It depends on who is arousing me and how really.”

Scrunching his nose and causing her to lightly giggle, Draco reached up and tenderly tucked her hair behind her ear as she rested her hands on his chest. However, the position they were in, began to cause butterflies to grow in his stomach and he could feel himself getting hard as her legs tightened around his waist. It didn’t help matters either when she tucked her bare feet under his legs, in order to hold herself steady, while she leaned down to peck his lips, inducing his hips to automatically push against her.

“Well…I-I uh, took a chance and hoped you wouldn’t try and abruptly curse me for startling you ” she continued as she felt his hardened length press lightly against her arse, forcing her to bite her lip and concentrate on anything else. A much as she wanted to give in and tear off his clothes, she knew she only had a limited about of alone time before one of their friends would interrupt them.

“Curse you? Never! Now Blaise or Red on the other hand…possibly, yeah” he smirked as Hermione rolled her eyes and he moved his fingers so that he was now cradling the back of her neck in his palm. Despite the playful moment turning somewhat intimate, Draco was fully aware he couldn’t hold out for much longer and gently began pulling her closer when a soft knock sounded at the door. “Ugh!” he groaned while throwing his head back, frustrated that once again something was ruining the moment for him. “Can we ever get just one minute where someone doesn’t bother us?” he complained with a deep exhale.

“What sort of life would we have if that were to ever happen?” she chuckled before reluctantly standing up in order to see who was at the door.

“A life filled with happiness, peace, serenity…joy” he mumbled under his breath while grabbing the blanket next to him and covering the boner in his pants in annoyance as Hermione shook her head once more before opening the entryway.

“Hey, Gin!” the bookworm pipped as the redhead waved. Though Ginny’s gaze veered passed her best friend and onto the blonde lying on the floor with a ruffled shirt, disheveled hair, and the blanket from his bed lying across his lap.

“On the floor now? Really? Blondie’s bed is literally a foot from you two?” she scoffed jokingly. “First the hallway, now the floor. I suppose one day you’ll both finally make it to the damn bed.”

“Shut your face, Red” Draco groaned with his arm over his eyes as his free hand pointed a finger in the air, “or you can buy your own drinks tonight” he claimed while relaxing his arm and allowing it to thump on the wooden floor in defeat. “Merlin knows, I need one after everything that occurred last night…” he muttered softly.

“You hated the taste of that beer” Ginny chuckled while leaning her forearm on the door frame as Hermione moved to sit on the edge of the bed. “I don’t think I have ever seen a sourer face on you since you ate ‘Mione’s makeshift stew back in the Ice Age.”

“Okay, give me some credit” the bookworm stated while leaning back on her hands, her brows narrowed in amusement. “I didn’t exactly have a lot to work with in that era.”

“To be fair,” Draco grunted as he sat up, his dick instantly softening in his pants after hearing Ginny speak; once again ruining everything for him, “we should all be grateful Blaise didn’t give it a go. We would’ve died of food poisoning if he made anything. That man is a horrible cook. And as for the beer, whiskey can easily numb the taste.”

“You say that now” the red-headed witch giggled. “Anyway, I was told to make sure you were awake, but it seems ‘Mione has already done that. Hope the arousal was better than what I would have done. You would have ended up with a pillow hitting your face repeatedly until your arse woke the fuck up.”

“Somehow, I don’t doubt that” he claimed as he moved to stand and brushed the non-existent dirt from his trousers.

“Well, you have fifteen minutes to wash up before we have to head over to Caleb’s house. Lucy said to not worry about our clothes right now as they are hanging up to dry, though they should be good to go by the time breakfast is over. Then we can head out to get new attire before helping set up the pub for tonight. Apparently, something is happening.”

“And let me guess,” the blonde began while walking over to the mirror to examine the yellowing bruises on his face, “I have to buy everyone clothes now too?”

“Quick learner, this one” Ginny joked as she smiled at Hermione. “You really know how to pick the smart ones ‘Mione.”

“I sure do” the brunette declared with a pleasant grin.

“Keep it up, Red” the Slytherin Prince expressed as he turned to face the Gryffindor in the doorway and leaned back against the dresser with his arms crossed. “Don’t forget, I’m the one with all the money. I hold the power here. And please…don’t put me in the same category as your brother or that Krum bloke. I’m much more intelligent than both of them combined and a whole lot more attractive.”

“I don’t know about that, but Mione has money” she replied with a hint of desperation in her voice when she realized Draco was right about their financial situation.

“Not enough to buy us all a new wardrobe, food, drinks, and anything else we might want or need” the brunette contended. “Even without inflation, I can afford to buy drinks, a bit of food, and maybe some essentials. I only brought enough to the museum to purchase a few souvenirs and that’s it.”

“Wow…” Ginny claimed slightly taken aback. “I almost forgot this all started at the museum” she sighed sullenly, causing a dourness to fill the room. “Feels like a lifetime ago, doesn’t it? I wonder what it’ll be like when we go back. I know mum won’t let me out of her sight for at least a year.”

“It’ll be strange, that’s for sure” Hermione stated weakly while tucking her hair behind her ear and sat up straight before resting her hands on her lap.

“I wonder how your brother and Potter will take the news that you two are dating your former enemies?” Draco added with an anxious chuckle while staring unseeingly at the floor in front of him. “Unless…” he cleared his throat while shifting his gaze to Hermione. “Unless you don’t plan on telling them…”

“What do you mean ‘don’t plan on telling them’? Of course, I’m going to tell them. Just because they might…okay will...” she corrected when Draco gave her a knowing look, “lose their shite doesn’t mean I’m going to keep you a secret. That’s not fair to you or to them. They’ll get over it in due time and if not, then they will just have to decide what’s more important; my happiness or their need to always constantly be wrong.”

Draco weakly smiled in delight as the words left Hermione’s lips. The idea that she was willing to still be with him once they returned home, made him hopeful for the future and more determined to say the words he needed to say. However, the timing didn’t feel right, and he wanted to wait until the perfect opportunity. Although, when that would be, he had no idea. He was starting to think he was delaying on purpose now in fear that his own feelings would get hurt.

“Well I plan on telling everyone too” Ginny asserted with a deep inhale. “Ron may be a right git, but he would do anything for me, including being okay with who I’m dating. Once he gets to know the real Blaise, and you too Blondie, he’ll come to understand that you both genuinely care for ‘Mione and me. It’ll take some time, but he’ll eventually see reason. He’s not the same childish person he used to be. All my family wants, is for me to be happy. For Godrics’ sake, you both saved our lives without even thinking about your own first; that’s a sacrifice not many people are willing to make. If anyone knows about sacrifice, it’s my family and Harry, and Mione, of course. I’m sure given the circumstances, since you both have proven time and time again that you’ve changed, I feel they’ll come around a lot quicker than any of us believe.”

“Speaking of Harry, he did forgive you already, Draco…” Hermione added when she saw the worry crease the blondes’ brows.

“It’s not actually Potter or even Weasley, that I’m worried about honestly…”

“Then who?” the red-headed witch queried. “Your mother?”

“No, my mother actually adores Hermione, believe it or not. Always has. Though more behind the scenes to protect them both from the Dark Lord.”

“It’s your father…isn’t it?” the bookworm stated somberly. “Draco, he’s in Azkaban. And unless there’s some miracle, he’s never getting out. Besides, you don’t need his approval…you never did.”

“I know I don’t” he scoffed lightly while looking to the ground. “It’s just hard to shake, you know. The idea that I must continuously please him. He still terrifies the shite out of me, even though I try to pretend that he doesn’t” he shrugged. “I can never shake him. I mean, I’ll probably never see the man again, but…”

“He’s your father” Ginny stated delicately. “I understand completely…But I’ll tell you this right now, Blondie, he’s not worth being afraid of. You’re a lot stronger and a far superior man than he will ever be. If he can’t see how amazing you are, then it’s his loss. You may be a prat, but you have wonderful friends willing to stick by you, and look out for you, and an even better girlfriend at your side…But if you do end up visiting him one day and he hurts you, I promise, he won’t live to see the next day because I will personally hurt him just as badly, if not worse.”

“Thanks, Red…”

“That’s what family’s for, right?” she lightly shrugged. “They say blood is thicker than water, but I remember countless times throughout all of our lives, where water was there…and blood wasn’t. Blood doesn’t always mean they are on your side, Draco, blood just makes you related…It’s loyalty that makes you family.”

Hermione was quiet as she glanced at her hands while Draco nodded his head at Ginny before looking to his witch and realizing that what he had said affected her. It wasn’t his intention to make her feel like their relationship was on the line because he brought his father up, he just felt comfortable enough to share his concerns with the girls.

“Hey uh, Red…? Can-can you give us a minute?” he requested, all the while never taking his eyes off the wavy-haired Gryffindor. Ginny gazed back and forth between the pair for a couple of seconds before realizing why the Slytherin Prince was asking for a moment alone with her best friend and nodded her head in understanding.

“Of course, I’ll meet you both downstairs, yeah?” she replied gently. “Don’t take too long though, alright? Lucy seems like the type to not be afraid to walk in on you…no matter what you may be doing.”

After Ginny had stepped away and softly closed the door behind her, Draco softened his shoulders before walking over to the bed and took a seat next to his witch.

“I didn’t mean it like that, you know?” he spoke soft and low. “Even if my father didn’t approve, I would still choose you-”

“Would you though? I mean, with our history, Draco-”

“Hermione…” he sighed while taking both of her hands in his and turning slightly to face her as he rested his left leg on the bed. “I fought way too hard to get you to see a different side of me. I-I’m not willing to give that up for a man who only ever pretended to care. My father…his approval or disapproval of my relationship, my life, he doesn’t control it, I know that. You are the gravity keeping me on my feet, not him…No matter how much he may scare me, I will never give you up. And whether we are stuck in the past, or find a way home to our time, or even face what the future may bear, you are everything to me and I will always choose you. I lo…” he paused as the words rested on his lips; unwilling to be said. He wanted to say it, he wanted it more than anything in the world, but for some odd reason, telling her that he loved her in that moment…didn’t seem right. His mind refused to cooperate with his heart and speak the words they both needed to hear, and he couldn’t for the life of him, figure out why it was so hard to say. “I-I can't imagine my life without you. If my father doesn't approve then so be it, you are who I can't live without.”

“You mean it?” she asked delicately while meeting his eyes, never catching the adjustment of his small speech.

“I may be one of the best liars at Hogwarts, Hermione, but I would never lie to you. Not unless it was for a very good reason” he claimed as she tenderly smiled and looked back to her hands.

“Me too...” she claimed quietly while Draco started gently pulling her in close and kissing her nice and slow in order to reassure her that he would never leave her side…He loved her, and even if he couldn’t say it, he was at least going to do everything he could to show her.

“So…” the bookworm began as she broke away from the kiss and rested her forehead against his, “your mother likes me?” she asked, forcing the Prince to chuckle and shake his head while sitting up straight.

“She does. She may not have shown it in the past, but I think she would be excited to know that she’ll be able to see more of you. That is, if you ever want to come over for dinner or something. After all, she did try to help you with Bellatrix, retrieved that rare ruby for me to give to you, and…”

“And what?” she delicately queried.

“She’s the one who found out about the Basilisk second year by overhearing my father talk about it with Nott Sr. She told me where to find the information about the snake, which is how you were able to obtain the page from a book I had ripped out in Flourish and Blotts before school started.”

“That was you? Draco, that has been bothering me for years! How could you rip a page out of a book?”

“Of everything I just said…that’s what you got from of all of it?” he grinned inquisitively. “I just told you I helped you second year so that you could aid Potter, and you’re worried about a book?”

“Books are sacred!” she scowled while lightly punching his arm. “You could have easily just bought it instead of damaging it!”

“Books are-Seriously? I didn’t want to buy the damn thing! Besides, I got a bit distracted when you and your friends started to leave the store, so I just ripped the stupid page out!”

“You ruined everything!”

“What? How? I had a hand in saving the bloody school! You never would have known the creature hiding in the chamber if I didn’t give you the clue you needed!”

“And I got petrified because you shared that information with me!”

“You would have died if I didn’t! You can’t sit here and say that if I didn’t disclose the details, you couldn’t find anywhere in the Library, that you would have still walked the halls with that hand mirror to protect you from staring directly into the Basilisks’ eyes!”

“I-” she paused with a small frown when realizing that he was correct. She most likely would have died if not for the actions he took, and she felt like shit for arguing over a book that could easily be mended.

“I win” he winked.

“I beg your pardon! Oh, you so did not win!” she shrieked while poking his sides before jumping on him as laughs escaped both of their throats. However, Draco quickly wrapped her in a bear hug to prevent her cheerful torture from continuing, and almost fell off the mattress again in the process.

“Everything okay in there?” Lucy asked from the other side of the entryway, startling the pair embraced in each other’s arms.

“Gods, damn it!” Draco swore with a clenched jaw as his head hung over the side of the bed.

“Told you; our lives would be boring if it wasn’t for interruptions” she giggled sweetly with a shrug before removing herself from off his chest.

“Hello?” Lucy repeated while knocking on the door.

“We’re coming!” the blonde shouted in annoyance, though not loud enough that the light-haired muggle would think he was yelling at her.

“Alright” she answered cordially. “But hurry please, mum is excited to serve new people her famous Full-English breakfast. We don’t get very many new people, let alone friends of my papa.” Draco threw his head back in frustration after sitting up, before standing to open the door. “Sleep alright, yeah?” she grinned merrily. “I do want to apologize again for last night. I did not mean you any harm with my jesting.”

“I’m alright, Lucy” Draco claimed with a forced smile. “I do have a sense of humor and I know you didn’t mean anything bad by it.”

“Shall we go?” Hermione beamed happily while ducking under Draco’s arm holding the door open and walking into the hallway. “Good morning, Lucy” she spoke pleasantly.

“Good morning, Miss Hermione. And yes, we shall! I’m starving!” the muggle smiled widely before turning on her heel and walking down the hall towards the stairs.

“You didn’t win” the brunette witch mouthed while swiftly gazing back at her wizard as they steadily followed Caleb’s daughter.

“Did so!” he baited in a whisper.

“Lies!” she grinned before rotating back, ensuring the Slytherin couldn’t reply.

Once the trio made it to the main area of the pub, Ginny quickly entwined her arm through Hermione’s as Blaise solemnly removed himself from the counter he was leaning on, with a deep sigh, clearly upset about something.

“You alright, mate?” Draco questioned as he fell back in order to walk with the Italian through the kitchen and out the back towards the small two-story red-bricked home.

“I’ve seen better days” he weakly smiled with a shrug.

“Did Red not forgive you for your tantrum last night?”

“She did, but…we all know Ginny. She didn’t want to listen to a word I said and claims she’s gonna be fine. I-I can’t help but feel that something really bad is going to happen, Draco…I just don’t know what. I don’t plan to leave her side for one second while we’re here, but…I know I can’t always protect her. I don’t know how you do it, mate. I don’t know how you can live every day with the fear that the one you care about could, and will, get hurt.”

“I…I just do…It’s not easy, that’s for sure. And there are days I feel like I’m gonna die from being so scared, but regardless of what happens to me, or Hermione, or even you, I know that you’re all aware that I cared and supported you…until the end.”

Blaise nodded as they came upon the Wolf home and stayed silent as Lucy opened the front door and escorted the barefooted foursome into the hallway that connected to the beautifully decorated Living Room. There was a single lit fireplace to the right, with a large black and white framed picture of Caleb and his family hanging above the mantel, against the wall between two curtained windows. A single striped green and white couch faced two matching armchairs with a small coffee table and a dark green area rug set between them. If it wasn’t for the flowery wallpaper brightening the whole room and giving it life, Ginny would have thought people in Victorian London had taste. However, the wall covering seemed a bit dated and didn’t match a single thing in the house.

As the Italian scrunched his nose when he realized how different homes in 1888 looked compared to the luxurious Malfoy Manor, Hermione studied a single picture of a young Caleb holding a baby Lucy on a stand in the middle of the hallway.

“You are here!” Mary-Ann expressed cheerfully as she walked out of the kitchen down the hall while wiping her hands on the apron wrapped around her petite waist. “So good of you to come! I just finished putting on a pot of tea and the bacon is almost ready. Please, come in!”

“Thank you so much for having us” Hermione stated pleasantly. “Your home is beautiful, and it smells delicious in here.”

“Why thank you, dear. Aren’t you sweet…It is such a pleasure to have company during these dark times. We rarely have visitors anymore.”

“You sound like my mother” Draco chuckled, causing Hermione to backhand him in the stomach. “What? I didn’t mean it as a bad thing!”

“It is quite alright, dear. Caleb has filled me in a bit on your background last night, and if a woman can raise a fine young gentleman like yourself, then I am honored to be compared. Anyway, off you go now, the Dining Room is just over there” she claimed while pointing towards a room to her left. “My husband shall be down shortly, and the food will be out momentarily. Lucy, please be a dear and show them.”

As the group made their way into the Dining Room, Ginny admired the long wooden table with eight seats and wondered how Caleb and his family could afford such luxuries, in the slums of London, owning only a pub. Taking her seat next to Blaise, while nervously waiting until the elder couple entered, Lucy, Hermione, and Draco sat across from the pair, leaving two places open on either end and an empty chair next to the Italian.

“You lot are going to love Ma’s cooking!” Lucy chirped while wiggling in her seat as a small bird fluttered outside the window behind her. “She makes the best food in all of London, though I may be a bit bias” she grinned happily. “So, where are you all from? Mama said you’re new to town. Did you come over on a boat? I always wanted to be on a ship! I have seen them from afar but never up close.”

“Uh, I uh…Well…” Ginny began to stammer when Draco raised his eyes from the table and effortlessly cut her off with a lie.

“France” he claimed smoothly. “Well, I’m from France, Blaise here is from Italy, and Ginny and Hermione are from England, but more north…in York.”

“France and Italy? That is amazing! You both are fluent in the natural languages as well then, yes?”

“We are” the blonde nodded.

“Ooo, can you say something in French? I always wanted to visit Paris too. It’s called the city of love, you know? Well of course you know, silly me.”

“Um, I mean sure, but I don’t really know what you want me to say…”

“Compliment Hermione” Lucy stated with a warm smile while resting her chin in her propped-up hand. “Women love to be complimented in another language. And then Blaise can do Ginny after! Go on, say something endearing!”

“Uhhhhh, okay” he breathed out with a small chuckle before turning to Hermione, seated on his right, as Lucy leaned over and watched the anxiety build within the Prince. “Um…” he began as Hermione sweetly smiled at him and cleared his throat. “Princess…Ma vie n'a pas été la même depuis que je t'ai rencontré...On dit qu'une image vaut mille mots, mais quand je te regarde, Hermione...Je n'en vois que trois. Trois mots que je n'arrive pas à vous dire. Trois mots que j'ai désespérément besoin de dire, mais je ne trouve jamais le bon moment, l'occasion parfaite...Il n'y a pas assez de mots au monde pour vous dire ce que vous représentez pour moi, mon amour, mais je te suivrais dans les ténèbres si cela voulait dire que je pourrais être avec toi pour toujours. Où que vous alliez…je serai là…à chaque étape…”

Everyone stayed quiet as they stared at Draco, mesmerized by the hypnotic language that flowed from his lips while Caleb leaned against the archway with his arms crossed and a tender smile on his face. It seemed that Lucy could also understand the Slytherin and beamed happily with a deep sigh while Hermione, unaware of what her Prince had said, continued to sink further into the depths of Draco’s gaze.

“Wow…” Blaise expressed, breaking the enchanting silence. “I take back what I said last night…I have no idea what the hell you just spoke but forget Hermione…! I wanna marry you now…!” he claimed, causing the girls to laugh as Draco narrowed his brows and chuckled.

“The betrayal!” the bookworm proclaimed with a hand clasped over her chest.

“Sorry, Buttercup…But unless you can speak a seductive language, I’m marrying Draco instead. I already live with him, might as well make it official!”

“I refuse to marry someone who cuddles with a teddy bear every night when he sleeps” the blonde retorted with an impish grin.

“You leave Mr. Snuggles out of this! He’s been by my side since I was a baby!”

“You’re nineteen years old, mate! I think it’s time you let him go…”

“Says the person who wet his bed fourth year after having a nightmare about dragons when witnessing one in…in a book” the Italian retaliated, careful with his words so as not to confuse the light-haired muggle intently listening.

“That was one time!”

“You wet the bed?” Ginny snorted while holding her stomach as laughter overtook her.

“It was one time…” Draco pouted while crossing his arms and huffing sharply through his nose. “One…”

Mary-Ann was about to enter the room with a tray full of tea as the group continued to argue and laugh, when Caleb quickly held up a hand to stop her as a small gasp escaped her lips.

“What?” she whispered as he broke away from the frame and pulled her back into the kitchen. “Caleb darling, what has gotten into you? Did something occur with your friends?”

“You just missed the most beautiful thing I think I have ever heard. Not even my vows to you could measure up” he smirked as his wife set the tray on the island and tilted her head in confusion.

“Okay, I am lost…”

“I just overheard Draco speaking fluent French to Hermione.”

“He can speak French? That’s brilliant…! Well, what did he say? I know you memorized it, Caleb Wolf, don’t you dare hold out on me. You know how much I love all things romantic.”

“Ma vie n'a pas-” he began but was quickly cut off by his wife’s scowl.

“English please, darling. You know I cannot understand foreign tongues” she declared while walking over to the stove to check on the sausages as the group in the Dining Room laughed at Blaise trying to compliment Ginny in Italian, but he couldn’t match the romanticism of the French language.

“My life has not been the same since I met you...” Caleb began gladly. “It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words, but when I look at you, Hermione...I see only three. Three words I can't seem to tell you. Three words I desperately need to say, but I can never find the right time, the perfect opportunity...There are not enough words in the world to tell you what you mean to me, my love, but I would follow you into darkness if it meant I could be with you forever. Wherever you go…I will be there…every step of the way…” he repeated in the same fashion the blonde had when he spoke to his Gryffindor, causing Mary-Ann to stop what she was doing, turn around with widened eyes, and pout proudly.

“Good Lord above!” she expressed with a hand over her chest. “Aww,” she ticked gleefully, “he loves her-Why can’t you say things like that? Never mind, you,” she waved a hand as her husband slightly frowned, “we have to help him!”

“Help him? How the hell do you plan we help him, Sugar? We cannot force the boy to speak his feelings.”

“No, but we can guide him a bit. You said he is a talented liar, correct? Cunning?" she inquired while appearing to be thinking strongly about something. Caleb nodded his head as his wife suddenly produced a devious grin.

“What are you up to, Mary-Ann?”

“I feel I may have an idea to get him to say it, but not directly say it…”

“I’m all ears, my love. Anything to get Draco to finally tell her, break through the fear. He is just like his ancestor in so many ways, scared to say the one thing that will actually benefit him in the long run.”

“Well, let us eat and we shall discuss it in detail a bit later. Come now,” she smiled happily while picking the tray of tea back up, “grab some food and feed these hungry children before they starve to death and that boy won’t ever be able to tell Hermione he loves her.”

“Yes, Sugar…” he replied while rolling his eyes and moved to grab the large pot of scrambled eggs from off the stove.

XX

“Wow…” Blaise voiced in surprise as he dug into his grilled tomatoes. “Lucy was right, you are an amazing cook!”

“Why thank you, Blaise” Mary-Ann beamed as she took a bite of mushroom. “We grow our own vegetables behind the house, and we buy our meat fresh from the market just off Hanbury Street where that poor woman was murdered almost a fortnight ago. Speaking of meat,” she glanced at Caleb sitting at the other end of the table talking to Ginny about the token he had given her, still around the redheads’ neck, as if she didn’t just bring up a murder. Caleb looked up at his wife and smiled as Ginny continued to eat while shoving a strip of bacon into his mouth.

“Yes, my love?” he inquired after pressing his napkin gently against his lips and finished chewing.

“I think we are running low on ham and I do wish to make a feast tonight to welcome your new friends to the city. Would you be a dear and head down to the butchers this afternoon and pick up two hogs for me?”

“Two? Sugar, that’s a lot of meat for seven people and a lot of brass as well. Why on earth would we need too full hogs?”

“So, we have leftovers of course! In case any of our patrons would like some throughout the week. It will not spoil, I assure you. We can run a special in order to have more people come. For a few pence more, they can buy a beer and get a filling meal as well. Lord knows, we can feed some of the children still on the street, and anyone else who may stop in for shelter from the cold and the rain. We also get a few bobbies in, who are working tirelessly to catch that deranged man sending them letters and killing defenseless birds. Times are hard, dear, and those women have no choice but to sell themselves for a loaf of bread. The least we can do is offer a decent meal to them and the men working passed dinner to solve the crimes being committed in this town.”

“You are too kind” he sighed heavily while glancing down at his plate and resting his forearms upon the edge of the table. “Very well. You make a compelling argument.”

“I always do” she grinned before biting into her sausage and looking over at Lucy, studying Hermione’s soft curls. “Lucy Jean, why don’t you take Hermione and Ginny shopping after breakfast? I’m sure they would love to get some new clothes for themselves and the boys.”

“I have to get the pub set up, Ma. Doctor Hammond has been coming in almost every morning since his wife and newborn passed a month ago. I do not agree with his grieving process, but I cannot deny him, at least not now. And I still must tend to Draco’s bruises, although they seem to be healing quite nicely.”

“How did you boys end up with so many wounds?” Mary-Ann inquired with a sip of her tea.

“Fighting…” Hermione answered flatly. “Each other.”

“Why on Earth, would you boys be fighting one another?” Caleb chimed in, interested to hear their reasoning while expecting it to be related to how one couple left the other behind to go hunting.

“They wanted to see who the alpha dog was, obviously, and couldn’t handle the other complaining anymore” the brunette witch claimed, sneering at both Draco and Blaise. “But I settled the argument for them.”

“Clearly proving who the real Alpha is” the former soldier winked.

“Wait, what happened to the Doctors’ wife and newborn?” Ginny queried with a small frown.

“Lost them in childbirth…” Lucy replied sullenly. “Poor bloke hasn’t been the same since. He tried to save them but there were…complications.”

“Oh, my God…” the redhead gasped.

“Tending to your own friends and family is not something a doctor or a surgeon should do” Lucy continued. “It causes much more heartache than standin’ on the sidelines and waiting. One is bound to make more mistakes and cause further harm. But Cameron was adamant he could deliver their baby boy safely, and he would not trust his wife’s care in anyone else’s hands. Unfortunately-”

“That’s enough talk about such grievances during a meal” Mary-Ann cut in morosely. “You may speak about it after we eat” she commanded, knowing how much her daughter loved to talk about work and could end up diving into too much detail while doing so.

“Yes, Ma.”

“Now, about taking the girls shopping…Caleb?”

“You have me goin’ to the butchers’ after this, darlin…”

“Right! How could I forget…?” the elder Wolf expressed in embarrassment. “When you get to be my age,” she began while chuckling, “and have to keep up with everything from working as a seamstress, to managing the books for the tavern, selling homegrown vegetation, and being a wife and mother, you start to lose your mind.”

“You’re not that old” Caleb smirked with a sly wink.

“I don’t mind going shopping with just ‘Mione” Ginny pipped as she set her fork down and wiped her hands on the napkin splayed across her lap. However, before anyone could reply, a loud knock could be heard at the front door, causing Mary-Ann to sulk her shoulders and sigh heavily.

“Lucy, be a dear…”

“Yes, ma’am” the brunette muggle answered while moving her chair back and standing up. As Lucy went to answer the door, the conversation in the Dining Room continued.

“Anyway, where were we?”

“Shopping, Sugar” Caleb spoke with a small chuckle.

“I know that!” his wife countered with a playful sneer. “I was just…Never you mind, you silly old goat!”

“I love you too” he bantered before continuing his meal just as his daughter nervously peeked her head around the corner.

“Mama…Evelyn is here with Adeline…” she spoke gently.

“Oh, dear God above” Mary-Ann sighed under her breath. “Send her in, I suppose.”

“Be nice, Sugar” her husband stated while trying to hold back a laugh and Lucy went to fetch her co-worker. “Times are hard…remember?” he joked, causing the four Hogwarts students to raise a perplexed brow.

“You shut your mouth this instant, Caleb Wolf!” she scolded while standing up, preparing to meet her guest. “That woman is in a desperate need for a soak. I can hardly stand the smell at times. You cannot say you have not caught the odor as well” she whispered low enough so that only the group surrounding her could hear. “Do not get me wrong, I love the poor dear, but she honestly needs to stop caring for others for just a moment and take a God damn bath” she proclaimed through gritted teeth, just as Lucy, Evelyn, and Adeline rounded the corner. “Evelyn!” she cheered with open arms as the twenty-six-year-old wavy-haired brunette ran up to her and embraced her an unsuspecting large hug, causing Mary-Ann’s smile to fade as she inhaled the foul body odor seeping off the dark blue dress, and Caleb to spit out his tea as a laugh escaped his throat.

“Hello, Caleb” Evelyn beamed while releasing the mother, before realizing four strangers were staring at her. “Oh…” she gulped while taking a step back and hiding slightly behind the elder. Her hazel eyes were wide, like a deer caught in headlights, as Hermione studied the woman’s porcelain skin and low messy ponytail. Evelyn was beautiful and didn’t appear to not take care of herself, but as the stench of the streets began to fill the home, the bookworm slowly set her fork down with a loss of appetite. However, Hermione wasn’t the only one who caught a whiff of the nurse, and both Draco and Blaise scrunched their noses while Ginny procured a faux smile through her sour face.

“It’s alright, Evie” Lucy began tenderly while standing directly behind the small child in the archway, who looked exactly like her mother but with bluer eyes. “They are Pa’s friends” she stated while placing her hands on the shoulders of the girl in front of her, dressed in an aged grey dress, before looking to the four no longer eating. “Forgive her, she is a bit shy around new people.”

“That’s okay” Hermione smiled while slowly standing from her chair. Walking over to the frightened muggle, she raised a hand, and graciously waved.

“Hello, Evelyn…I’m Hermione…It’s really nice to meet you…”

“Hello…” Evelyn said in a serious tone after clearing her throat and standing up straight as if she was greeting a patient.

“I hear you’re a nurse. That’s wonderful! You must see all sorts of things in your line of work.”

“Hello…” she repeated awkwardly, resulting in Hermione scrunching her brows in bewilderment.

“Uh…hi…”

“So, who’s this little one?” Ginny interrupted while smiling at the little girl behind her.

“My name Adeline, Miss” she replied courteously. “Mommy calls me Addie sometimes though…” she claimed, twisting her body back and forth while glancing down at her feet.

“Addie, huh? That’s a pretty name.”

“Thank you, Miss-!”

“Ginevra, but you can call me Ginny. How old are you, Adeline?”

“Sev’n!” the small brunette chirped happily. “I almoss eight, Miss Ginny!”

“Seven?” Hermione pretended to be shocked. “Rubbish! You must be at least twelve! You’re far too mature for seven!” she stated with a large grin as Adeline beamed proudly.

“Mommy said I can learned to help her with the instruments when I turt’ed ten! Right now, I juss help keep people happy when they visit Mr. Hammonds’ home! Momma say that the doctors’ home can be scary, but I think it is a fun home. Not scary at all. I get to do all kinds of things there. I can read and draw a-and talk to all sorts of people!”

“Really?” the brunette witch gleamed. “That’s fantastic! Very brave of you to help others.”

“Sounds like an important job” Draco chimed in as he leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. “You know, Adeline, I know someone just like you. He’s my age though but loves to try and make people happy when he can, and he can heal people as well.”

“Not uh! Who?”

“His name is Blaise and he’s sitting right there” he answered while nodding his head at the Italian, who produced a warm grin.

“You are a doctor like Mr. Hammond?” she questioned sweetly while twirling her dress.

“Not yet” Blaise replied with a cheerful scoff as he leaned an arm over the back of the chair. “One day though. Right now, I’m more like Lucy and studying really hard so that in the future I can help thousands of people.”

“Thousands?” she expressed with wide eyes. “That is like…like all of England!”

“Sort of” he chuckled. “You are a bright young lady!”

“Addie” Mary-Ann cut in with a tender smile, “did Mr. Caleb tell you yet that he just went to the store the other day and found a present for you?”

“No…! What is it?”

“Well, I do not want to give anything away” she stated while slyly glancing to her left.

“Oh please, Miss Mary, please tell me!” the girl begged while running up to the mother Wolf and pulling at her dress.

“I do not know…Mr. Caleb might tickle me mercilessly if I told!” she teased. “I do not know if I can handle such an attack!”

“It can be our secret! I will not tell, I promise!”

“Alright then…” she sighed. “But if he finds out I told you, you will be tickled as well. I cannot help you.”

“No!” Adeline asserted with widened eyes before quickly glancing at Caleb playfully scrunching his nose at her. “He cannot tickle us both! We be too fast for him. He is old!”

“Old?” the former Confederate growled with a slacked jaw. “I’ll show you old…! Uh oh…! You have triggered the unbridled tickle monster! I have but no choice now! I cannot contain it any longer! She must not find the doll in Lucy’s bedroom!” he declared as he swiftly stood and held a hand in the air; his fingers partially curled while his free hand grasped his wrist pretending to hold the arm back.

“Oh no, he heard us! Run, Miss Mary, run!” she giggled while scurrying away from Caleb, who was fake fighting himself before darting off after her, snarling and grunting while calling out that he was going to get her as everyone left in the room laughed.

“Such a sweet child” Mary-Ann claimed with a shake of her head before looking to Evelyn in concern. “Evie, you look famished. Why don’t you join us for a bite? I’ll set up a bath while you eat.”

“No thank you, Mary-Ann. The gesture is appreciated, however, ever since the doctor has abruptly halted working, my job has been getting much harder. We cannot turn everyone away and I can only take care of so many in a day. There is very little time to do anything for myself. More and more people are showing up sick and injured, which means I must make sacrifices for they are more important. I simply came to drop off Addie and be on my way. I hope you do not mind. It is such short notice, but Adeline loves it here and…i-it sounds horrible, but I need to focus on my patients…not her” she declared, however, stating the last part more quietly.

“Very well” the elder mother asserted while straightening her posture and folding her hands neatly in front of her, clearly at odds with herself about retorting callously. “Adeline is always welcome here. You do what you must. I shall see you later tonight when you pick her up.”

“Thank you” Evelyn spoke low, ashamed things had turned sour. “I-I should be going…”

“Yes, you should” Mary-Ann stated low and through a clenched jaw.

“I’ll show you out” Lucy said while removing herself from off the wall she was leaning against. “Then I’ll go distract Papa so you can tell everyone about tonight, Ma.”

“Perfect angel my daughter is…” her mother smiled as the light-haired muggle escorted a sorrowful Evelyn out of the room. “Ugh! I cannot believe that woman!” she expressed once the two were out of earshot and she heard the front door click closed. “Unbelievable...! I-I do apologize” she stated after inhaling a deep breath to calm herself. “Sometimes the neglect of that poor child gets to me.”

“Sometimes?” Blaise mumbled under his breath as Hermione stared unseeingly at the floor, thinking.

“So, what’s going on tonight?” Draco asked while uncrossing his arms and leaning forward. “This is like the third time I heard something is happening. And why does Caleb need to be kept occupied?”

“Well…” Mary-Ann sighed while taking her seat. “I do not know how much you know about Caleb, however, today is a very special day…His birthday. He is not very big on celebrating, but I would love to throw him a gathering. I know they are not popular, though I cannot help loving the idea of getting close friends and family together to dance and eat. We have celebrated once before with a cake but that was years ago with only my parents, may they rest in peace. Though now that he has family of his former friends here, who he seemed to love dearly so, I do wish that you could join us.”

“So, a surprise party?” the blonde Slytherin clarified.

“Yes! A surprise party, as you call it.”

“We are willing to help in any way we can” Hermione voiced quickly while looking up from the ground.

“Oh, thank you, dear.”

“What would you like us to do?” Blaise questioned.

“Well…” the woman beamed happily, “the tavern needs to be cleaned. I already have the custom sign that says, ‘Happy Birthday’, which I have received from Mrs. Taylor down the street, so it just needs to be placed up. I also need to start on his cake, but I cannot make it until he leaves for the butchers. The journey should take him a while, giving me enough time; however, I could use some help and someone to distract him when he returns.”

“I would love to help you bake! My mum taught me everything I know!” Ginny pipped while clapping her hands together.

“I’ll help clean until he returns,” the dark-haired wizard volunteered, “then after I can have him take me out to get us all clothes.”

“I guess that leaves me to hang the banner and fill balloons” Hermione affirmed with a nod of her head.

“Let us get to it then!” Mary cheered in excitement.

“Wait…balloons?” the Italian inquired, knowing the items were not mass-produced until the early nineteen hundred’s.

“Yes, balloons” Hermione enunciated tersely while giving him a pointed look. “You can’t have a party without them.”

“What are these…balloon objects?” the elder Wolf questioned curiously.

“They’re great for decoration, Mary-Ann” the brunette witch explained. “You’ll love them. I uh…I know a man who invented them awhile back and has been trying to perfect them ever since. He has been wanting to test them at a real party…for consumer purposes, that is. I’m sure he would be happy to provide his product.”

“And Caleb will…like…these decorations?”

“I believe he will!”

“Very well. I trust that you know what you’re doing.”

“I promise, your guests are going to love them.”

XX

As Hermione aided Lucy in hanging the plainly decorated banner behind the bar about an hour later, Draco intently examined the run-down solid straight-grain mahogany piano, tucked near the back of the pub. Once Hermione had stepped off the stool to admire her work, Lucy walked back into the kitchen while the brunette witch beamed happily and turned around to see the blonde Prince with his wand out.

“Draco…!” she whispered as she glanced around to make sure Lucy hadn’t stepped back into the room. “What are you doing? Put that away before someone sees!”

“Why?” he shrugged while tapping the Hawthorn against his chin as his other arm remained crossed in front of him and he continued to study the instrument. “They’ll only think it’s a stick” he claimed with a tilt of his head, never once looking in the direction of his Gryffindor.

“What are you even doing over here?” she inquired as she walked around the counter and across the room to stand next to Draco. “Why are you so interested in a dusty old piano anyway? You’ve been staring at it for the past ten minutes like there’s a Boggart or something in it.”

“I’m considering altering it to look like a pony with a clown riding it. I mean, what’s a party without a clown, right?” he chuckled with a shake of his head as Hermione scrunched her nose in dissatisfaction. “Mary-Ann asked if I could look at it” he admitted with a small laugh while finally turning his attention to her. “I told her I could fix it for the party. Apparently, she can play the thing, but hasn’t had it looked at in years. She used to teach but stopped after the city went to hell. It appears relatively intact, just a few pieces need to be reconnected and tuned up.”

“How do you know that? You have some sort of x-ray vision now or something?” she giggled slightly while crossing her arms and gazing at the elegantly carved moldings and intricately painted panels across the front, telling its own story.

“I scanned it with my wand, Hermione…Come on, I’m not some muggle superhero. Although x-ray vision would be a hard-core power to have. I’ll have to look into creating a potion for it…”

“It was a joke, you dunce” she chuckled while playfully shoving his arm.

“But an interesting concept…” he ticked as he tapped his wand once again against his chin.

“A concept that’s impossible.”

“Lies! How would you even know it’s impossible…?” he queried with a raised brow. “You’ve tried it, haven’t you?”

“No comment…” she claimed as Draco snorted slightly.

“Wow!” he continued to laugh. “Leave it to you to try and magically create a superpower…and fail.”

“Shut-up! It was a one-time thing and Ron insisted after reading all those comic books Harry gave him for Christmas last year. I couldn’t have him trying to do it himself. He would have blown up the whole school attempting to create Superman’s’ heat vision, Silver Surfer’s energy absorption, or Thor’s lightning power. We all could have died if I didn’t tell him to let me do it first…But as it turns out, you have to be born with the powers, fall into a nuclear pit, be an alien, or get bit by a radioactive spider.”

“You read the comics-”

“I read the comics” she sighed in defeat, unaware as to why and how he knew what she was talking about.

“Huh…I guess we all should be thanking you then” he joked while trying to hold back a laugh. “Nerd…”

“Just fix your damn piano” she scoffed loudly.

“Oh, don’t be like that, I was just messing with you. And it’s not just a piano. It’s an 1877 custom Broadwood Cottage Upright.”

“Well, well, well, look who’s the nerd now. And dare I ask how you happen to just…know this information?”

“I told you before…I know things too. Stop doubting me all the time” he declared while flicking his wand and restoring the piano to almost new condition before taking a seat in front of it and touching the keys to test them out. Hermione joined him on the two-seater bench, to his right, just as Ginny and Lucy walked out from the kitchen and silently watched the pair. She clicked a few keys before pressing the notes needed to play ‘Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star’. “Well, well, well…looks like someone has a few talents up her sleeve” he mocked. “I have some too, you know?”

“When have you ever played an instrument in your life?” she asked with a raised brow. Frowning lightly, Draco shook his head and rolled his eyes before cracking his knuckles and shaking his hands to loosen his fingers. Lining his fingertips up with the correct keys, the blonde Slytherin began playing Nocturne in C Sharp Minor, No. 20.

Hermione’s eyes widened in utter shock as Draco effortlessly preformed the beautiful melody, causing him to briefly glance at her with a large smile after she had gasped. Once he had completed most of what he could remember, he removed his hands when the lasting note was finished while the brunette stared at him in a mixture of bewilderment and astonishment.

“H-h-how?” she managed to breathe out, her gaze lifting to meet his proud eyes. “You can play Chopin?”

“Yes and no…” he nervously claimed while rubbing his palms on his pajama bottoms. “It’s a skill I discovered over the summer…I-I can’t read music, but I can play almost anything as long as I have heard it before…”

“You can-anything?” she asked, still in shock.

“Mostly anything…Hum a tune, I’ll show you.”

“Uh, okay um…” she paused for a moment and gazed up at the ceiling while biting her lip. Thinking of a song, she lowered her head and pursed her lips as a smile grew before clearing her throat and began to hum it. “Daaah. Dah, dah, daaah. Dah, dah, daaah, dah, dah, dah, dah…”

“Really?” he questioned with furrowed brows. “Of all the songs in the world, you pick that one?”

“But…I like that song…It’s my favorite…”

“Jurassic Park, Hermione? I mean, don’t you see the irony in that?” he chuckled while once again shaking his head and rolling his eyes with a small smile on his lips. “Don’t get me wrong, the movie was great, but after experiencing it firsthand, I’ve come to realize how wrong they got a lot of those dinosaurs.”

“Wait, how do you know what movie that’s from?”

“Well if it wasn’t obvious when I was able to name extinct reptiles…” he trailed off as Hermione tilted her head and stared off at nothing. “I like to periodically watch muggle movies just to listen to the compositions in them. I enjoy the different tracks they come up with to draw a viewer into the story. Jurassic Park just happens to be my favorite...”

“Huh…” she ticked “So, you can speak French, you can sword fight extremely well, you love Dinosaurs and volcanoes, and you can play the piano…Is there anything you can’t do?”

“X-ray vision” he claimed in all seriousness before cracking a smile as his witch giggled.

“Okay, smartarse…Play the Main Theme then.”

“Alright, uh…refresh my memory really quick…”

As the Golden Girl began to hum the melody again, Draco intently listened to each key before remembering the song fully for himself. When he had the notes in his head, he stretched his fingers once more and began to play. While making his way through the anthem, he suddenly switched the harmony in order to blend the symphony with the harder, more famous, second half as the Gryffindor Princess’s eyes widened again. However, she quickly licked her lips and proudly grinned before bobbing her head side to side to the rhythm, humming along as the Prince facilely performed her favorite song as if he was First Chair in a concert.

Ginny watched with a large smile on her face as Lucy internally question the amazing melody Draco was playing, and how he not only fixed the piano so quickly, but how he spotlessly cleaned it as well. However, the brunette muggle couldn’t help but feel happy about the moment and leaned on the bar to get a better listen while accidentally knocking a glass onto the floor.

“Shite! Sorry!” she yelped, causing Draco to abruptly stop playing just as he was about to reach the end, and Ginny to scowl at her. “I’m sorry” she repeated woefully.

“It’s alright” the blonde grinned while gently closing the lid over the keys. “Is Blaise back yet with our clothes? I would really like to get out of these pajamas.”

“Not yet,” the redhead asserted, “although he should be here shortly. Mary-Ann has a plan to distract Caleb for a few hours outside the tavern while ‘Mione and I get the hogs ready for tonight. So, Blaise should be free to help you finish cleaning, blow up the balloons, and make sure everything is in order.”

“I can cook too you know…” he mumbled sadly under his breath, causing Hermione to sulk her shoulders and frown. “No one ever asks me…”

It was in that moment that the brunette realized how used the Slytherin must feel. He had all these talents, none of them even knew about, because none of them bothered to get to know him better, and it seemed they only ever used him for his strength when one of them was in trouble. Even when they learned he could speak French back in Rome, they had only ever used that information to have him translate for them on the pirate ship. She couldn’t even begin to imagine how neglected and exploited Draco must feel. All he ever wanted since the beginning, was to feel included, and here they were taking him for granted once again.

“Hey uh, Gin…” Hermione spoke up while slowly removing her gaze from off her wizard, “why doesn’t Draco help you with the hogs. I think I would rather clean and set up instead’ she confessed as the blonde’s gaze quickly shifted to hers. ‘I’m better with decorations anyway.”

“But you’re so good at cooking!” she whined before noticing Draco’s hurt expression and realizing what her friend was doing. “Fine…” she claimed with a deep inhale. “Blondie, can you cook? I feel with your many talents, culinary arts should be on that list as well, yeah?” Draco lowered his head with parted lips and somber eyes before clearing his throat and nodding his head. “Well come on then! We have a lot to do and very little time to do it!”

“I have to make a run to pick up some more ale” Lucy added after cleaning up the broken glass from off the floor. “Will you lot watch the pub for me until I return? Doctor Hammond did not come in this mornin’, but I have a strong feeling he will arrive tonight. Ma invited him to the party and that man right now cannot say no to alcohol, which means I am goin’ to need a lot more.”

“I’ll make sure to keep watch” the brunette witch pipped. “The tavern is safe with me. You go.”

As Lucy nodded her head once before stepping out of the room, Draco stood and gulped anxiously before hurrying towards the kitchen to help Ginny. But he suddenly stopped at the door and smiled at his girl to silently thank her, before turning on his heel and leaving the Gryffindor Princess alone in the pub.

XX

“I can’t believe it!” Lucy chirped in astonishment as she rested the sides of her fingers against her lips. “You sure know how to set up a party! I don’t know how you did it, Hermione, but these balloon things are a hit! The kids absolutely love them, even the adults are playing with them. Please make sure to tell your friend how grateful we are to him and his invention.”

“It’s nothing really” the brunette Gryffindor beamed as she watched Draco bounce a few transfigured white latex gloves around the room with Adeline. “He was happy to help. I’ll make sure to report back to him about how loved his invention is” she lied, knowing the world wouldn’t see balloons until 1930. “Anyway, I should go and see if Ginny needs any help getting the cheese trays together.”

“You let her know she needs to get her arse out here and soon, for the surprise!” Lucy called out as Hermione made her way across the room and towards the kitchen.

“Oh!” Ginny yelped as she walked out the door and almost ran face-first into her friend. “Godric, ‘Mione! You scared me half to death!” she claimed while carrying two large trays of meats, cheeses, and vegetables.

“Sorry. I was just coming to see if you needed any help” she smiled while taking one of the trays from her friends’ hands.

“I’m okay!” she gleamed happily. “I just have these and the second hog to bring out. By the way, we really need to thank your boyfriend” she grinned from ear to ear while they set the trays on a table against the wall to the side of the bar.

“Why…?” Hermione queried with a raised brow.

“Uhhhh, because he’s a fucking fantastic cook, that’s why! He practically did everything himself and without magic” she whispered. “It was like I was watching one of those culinary shows on the telly at your parents’ house. He taught me things my mother most likely doesn’t even know how to do. Do you know that cutting things into thin strips is called Julienning? I sure as hell didn’t know that! Look at these carrots, ‘Mione! Look at them! They’re fucking perfect!”

“Okay, Gin, put the carrot down before you poke someone’s eye out” she chuckled while gently lowering the redheads’ hand.

“How the hell does he know how to do all this shite?” Ginny continued while dusting her hands on the apron covering her long-sleeved light-colored tea dress that was very similar to the one Hermione was wearing. “He has so many skills none of us even knew about.”

“Well…I mean, none of us have really gotten to know him other than what he’s shown at school or during this adventure. If you really think about it, how much do we really know about Blaise, besides that he wants to become a healer and hates dinosaurs.”

“I know things about Blaise!”

“Really? Okay, what’s his favorite color?” she asked while crossing her arms, causing Ginny to begin stuttering. “Why doesn’t he talk about his mother? How did he learn to sword fight? What other talents does he possess besides speaking Italian perfectly or knowing history? What’s his favorite food; favorite animal?”

“Horses…” a familiar voice cut in, forcing the girls to look at the man who had interrupted them. “Blaise loves horses” Draco repeated with three beers in his hands. “And I was on house arrest for a few months before school started, completely bored, which is how I learned to play the piano that sits in the Library at Malfoy Manor. Pansy also visited a few times and taught me how to cook. Blaise had no interest and instead read a lot. His favorite food is macaroni and cheese, his favorite color is Emerald Green whereas mine is Royal Blue, and he doesn’t talk about his mother because she practically abandoned him in order to search for a husband with money. We both learned to sword fight as kids because as purebloods of our status, it was required, and one of his secret talents is singing, another is dancing. If you would just ask us and actually start a conversation that doesn’t involve being trapped in the past o-or you constantly trying to provoke us, then we would stop surprising you both all the time.”

“Well…” Ginny began to counter while crossing her arms in front of her, before taking one of the beers from his outstretched hand, “it’s not like you ask us about our talents or anything either!” she argued. 

“We don’t need to. We already know” he proclaimed while handing Hermione the second bottle.

“Oh, yeah…? What’s Hermione’s favorite color then, hmm?”

“Ruby Red” he answered as a matter of fact while taking a sip of the alcohol and produced a sour expression when the taste of the liquid touched his tongue.

“That was too easy. Animal then?”

“Dolphin…” he claimed in a hoarse voice while looking at the bottle in disgust.

“Book?” Hermione chimed in with a raised brow.

“Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express, published in 1937. Your favorite character is Hercule Poirot, you love murder mystery novels, you’re favorite dessert is blueberry cobbler, you take a splash of cream and one sugar with your tea, and your favorite class is Arithmancy, although you excel at Transfiguration and Charms. I’m not a prat or oblivious to things around me and all of that is common knowledge, which a lot of people know because we’ve only been going to school with both of you for years. We overhear things and we pay attention. I may have been a right git back then, but that doesn’t mean I don’t know things. I am just as smart as Hermione is, but neither of you seems to be able to look passed certain traits in order to see that.”

“I-I’m sorry, Draco…” Ginny claimed ruefully as she lowered her head in shame. “I didn’t mean to be so callous.

“Don’t be sorry, Red. Just ask next time you want to know something.”

“HE IS HERE!” Lucy shouted in a loud whisper over the indistinct chatter engulfing the tavern, causing Blaise to break away from the conversation he was having with Doctor Hammond and Walter, and make his way over to his friends huddled by the food station. “Everyone be quiet and get ready! You all know what to do! Just like we practiced!” she commanded while happily making her way around the counter in order to join the fifty or so patrons eager to celebrate their close friends’ birthday.

As the camera man centered himself in the middle of the crowd, everyone grabbed a balloon and waited for the kitchen door behind the bar to open, while a few people dimmed the gas-fueled sconces, readying themselves for when the time came to relight them. It didn’t take long before they heard the soft murmurs of voices on the other side of the entryway, and finally the swinging door opened.

“SURPRISE!” they all yelled as the lights turned back on and a bright flash glowed throughout the room. Balloons drifted downward as Caleb stood frozen in the archway and his wife beamed proudly behind him, but Lucy ignored the stunned gaze of her father and quickly rushed over to him with a large smile on her lips.

“Happy Birthday, Daddy!” she merrily spoke while tenderly kissing his cheek, pulling him from the small flashback of the war rattling through his mind.

“Uh…I uh…” he breathed heavily as he looked at all the faces of his friends, trying his best to not picture them as Confederates storming Gettysburg.

“Hey, Caleb!” Blaise called out, realizing exactly why the man was acting so strangely. “Happy Birthday, mate! Come on in, enjoy your party!”

Turning around and setting his beer down on the round food table, the blonde glanced at both girls in disappointment before walking over to the piano to play an upbeat tempo, drawing Caleb further out of his own nightmare.

After two hours of partying, once Caleb was finally able to pull himself together and greet his guests, Draco, Hermione, Blaise, and Ginny sat at the bar, laughing and drinking the night away. They were, however, interrupted briefly when a man approached them stating he was from a small newspaper company and was taking pictures of all the people celebrating the birth of their friend.

“Squeeze in now!” he ordered joyfully before backing away from his camera for a moment and began scanning the room. “Ah! Caleb, my good man! Come over here! I want to get a photograph of you with these fine young birds and gents! Bring Lucy and Mary-Ann as well! We do not have enough portraits of you and your guests! Come, come!” Caleb and his wife politely exited the conversation they were having with Mary’s cousins and made their way through the rather large crowd up to the bar. “Where is your daughter? Someone find that impertinent child! I know she hates her portrait taken, but this is a family event, my good people! Memories must be made!”

“I am right here, Stanley!” Lucy chuckled with a roll of her eyes while standing up from behind the counter with a bottle of whiskey in her hand. “That man is fierce when it comes to his craft of photographs” she giggled to the four that had turned their heads to face her. “Always has to make sure it is absolutely perfect. He used up all his film just to take that single portrait of us hangin’ over the mantle of our fireplace last year. I cannot imagine how much he is using tonight.”

“Come hither, Lucy Jean! We have not got all moonlight!” he yowled while throwing a fist into the air and looking back down into his camera just as Lucy stuck out her tongue.

“He be lucky he’s an old family friend. Otherwise, he would find this bottle shoved somewhere where the sun don’t shine!” she spoke loud enough for the man to hear, causing him to shake his head as a smirk radiated his face.

Setting the bottle down, Lucy hopped on top of the bar and swung her legs over the side of Blaise while Mary-Ann slouched her shoulders in disappointment. However, she was having far too much fun to say anything and instead proudly stood next to her husband seated beside Hermione.

“Alright, my good Lords and Ladies! Huddle in close and give us a smile!” Once he had taken a normal picture, Stanley rewound his camera and stopped the group from dissipating before he had a chance to take another. “Hold on now, let us take one more” he suggested as Lucy whined and threw her head back. “Don’t you groan at me, Miss Independent! I used to help change your diapers when you were a babe!”

“Oh, you had to bring that up, did you? That argument is vintage anymore; just like you, old timer!” she joked while scrunching her nose at him.

“Har, har…Get your jesting in now, young bird. One day you’ll be just as elderly as me and wishing you did not say such heinous things to your dear ancient Godfather!”

“Can we hurry this up, please?” Mary sulked with a deep inhale. “We have guests to mingle with.”

“Yes, yes…Very well. Let us be loose in this one and you may be on your way…Alright now, strike a posture, my dear miscreants!”

As Caleb pulled Mary onto his lap and Blaise embraced Ginny in his arms, Lucy got to her knees to prop herself up behind the couples while Draco looked to Hermione, unknowing of how she wanted to pose…if she even wanted to pose with him. Gulping slightly as Stanley counted down from three, time seemed to stand still as Draco reached out, pulled the witch into his arms, and swiftly dipped her while pressing a searing kiss against her eager lips just as the flash went off. Pulling back slightly and smirking, Caleb tilted his head as everyone stared at the pair in amazement and Stanley’s jaw dropped.

“Lovely…” he pipped. “Never seen that before…”

“Sorry…” Draco breathed out while righting Hermione. “I-I saw that in a picture once and always wanted to try it…” he admitted while rubbing the back of his neck as Stanley spoke to Mary about when the photos would be developed.

“That famous one from 1945 with the sailor and dental assistant in New York?” the Golden Girl questioned in fascination while delicately biting her bottom lip.

“Yeah, I-I guess that’s the one…”

“How about a round of whiskey for my good friends!” Caleb shouted while holding his beer in his hand after his wife had discretely nodded her head and winked at him, signaling him to start their plan to help the blonde Prince. “Lucy, my dear, pop open that bottle!”

“You got it, Papa!” she chirped while hopping off the counter and grabbing six of their best French silver shot glasses. While the brunette muggle poured out the dark liquid, Caleb walked behind the bar and rested his arms on the counter. “Here we are!” she declared, passing the shots to each person.

“Now we’re talking!” Blaise happily proclaimed while rubbing his hands together.

“Cheers, to my father!” Lucy began while holding her glass in the air. “May he always stay humble, and may God grant him the ability called a ‘sense of humor’!”

“Hey!” he contended.

“Sorry, I cannot hear you! The alcohol is preventing me from listening! It is like it is blocking my ears somehow!” she quipped while quickly drinking her shot and pointing to her ear and jokingly humming.

A few shots and a couple of beers later, Blaise was gorging on the ham Draco had cooked earlier in the day while Hermione and Ginny were dancing with Stanley, and Mary-Ann was blissfully playing the piano. After catching their breaths and heading back to the boys, Draco cut his conversation short with Caleb and Lucy about the balloons and the food he had a hand in making, when the wavy-haired witch draped her arm over her wizards’ shoulders.

“What do we say to a game?” the former Confederate suggested while patting his hand against the counter.

“What sort of game are we talking about here?” Draco questioned while Blaise wiped his hands on a cloth napkin and licked his lips, clearly intoxicated but able to hold his own just as the blonde could.

“Ooo, I wanna play!” Ginny drunkenly declared while licking her fingers after dipping them in leftover juice on Blaise’s plate.

“Hermione?” Caleb queried while looking to the girl playing with Draco’s face.

“Yeah?” she asked while poking the blondes’ cheek repeatedly. “You have the smoothest skin…I have…ever felt! It’s so squishy!” she stated, causing Draco to chuckle. “I could pet it alllllll day…”

“Alright, love, why don’t you have a seat? You can play with my face later” he claimed while standing up and helping his Gryffindor sit on the stool.

“Promise?” she pouted as Lucy handed her a glass of water.

“I promise, Princess.”

“Oh my God, I love that nickname!” Throwing her head back with a groan, she began to giggle uncontrollably before looking back to the people raising their brows at her. “Did you know he gave me that nickname?” she expressed with a large smile while pointing to Draco as she leaned forward in order to talk to the duo behind the bar. “It’s special! Just for me, not you! You can’t use it! Only he can…”

“She does not drink much, does she?” Lucy questioned while helping the witch drink her water from across the counter and Ginny laid her head on the Italians’ shoulder.

“Nope!” Ginny chimed in with a raised hand, though never removed her head from off the dark-skinned wizard. “I think this is the first time she’s been sloshed…However,” she lifted her head and began to take a sip of the water in front of her, “she didn’t have that much…I think this is her tipsy stage…Ooo, I wanna see her sozzled stage!”

“I’m not drunk…” Hermione asserted with a frown. “You lot are just…scared…you’ll lose the game to me…psh…Pussies.”

“Well!” Caleb laughed along with Lucy and Ginny as Draco lowered his head and chortled and Blaise almost spat out his beer. “I think that's enough alcohol for you now…”

“You take that beer from me, Caleb, and I promise, it will be the last thing you ever do…”

“Feisty…I like drunk Hermione!” Blaise stated after wiping his mouth on the back of his sleeve and leaned his arms on the counter. “I think I’m starting to veer back into wanting to marry you again!”

“Thank you, Blaise!” the bookworm spoke proudly while clinking her glass against his. “I knew you’d see the error of your ways and come around eventually.”

“You are something else, Buttercup…! So, what are the rules of this game, Caleb? Can’t have Hermione here, showing us all up.”

“Well, it’s a game I used to play with my brothers when we were young, called Truth or Liar.”

“Fuck!” the redhead frowned while sulking her shoulders.

“What? What’s wrong?” Lucy inquired nervously. “Papa isn’t that great at it.”

“I don’t know about him, but Blondie,” she turned her gaze to the Malfoy heir standing behind her best friend, “is the best fucking liar at our school…Well, I mean…the school we used to go to…together…in Scotland” she claimed, hoping she didn’t give too much away in terms of where they were really from.

“Then we will just have to see who the best is, won’t we?” Lucy challenged while scowling at Draco, who had no idea what he was in for.

“Alright, rules are as followed” her father began as she continued to try and provoke the blonde Prince with a playful hardened scowl. “When it is your turn, you must do your best to convince each person playing that what you are saying is the truth. It can be anything from the way they look, to how they act, to something that happened in your life. The person on the receiving end must then say if they believe the tale. At the end of each turn, it will be revealed if you were telling the truth or if you were lying. If it turns out that the person was lying and you believed them, you must take a swig. Same goes for if they were telling the truth and you thought it a lie. However, if the receiver wins the round, the person who created the tale must drink. Winner of the coin flip gets to go first, and we’ll go from there, sound good?”

“Bring it on!” Hermione shouted as a loud burp escaped her throat and she quickly covered her mouth in embarrassment.

“What…the…fuck?” Blaise chortled as everyone stared in amazement.

“Jesus!” Lucy laughed uncontrollably.

“Oh, God! I’m sorry!” the bookworm stated in worry. “I-I have no idea where that came from!”

“It sounded like your soul left your body!” the light-haired muggle declared through her giggle fit as Ginny burped louder to help take the embarrassment off her friend.

“Damn it, Ginny!” Hermione yelled in a playful anger while pounding her fist on the bar. “That was better than mine!”

“You lot want a burping contest; we can squeeze that in later” Caleb asserted with a small chuckle.

“Okay, let’s just play…” Draco stated through chuckles of his own. “Before Blaise beats us all at belching. Merlin knows, he’s the supreme leader in that category.”

“And proud of it!” the Italian cheered. “But I think my girl is reigning Queen right now!” Leaning over, the Italian succulently kissed Ginny on the lips as his friends around him scrunched their noses.

“Get a room, mate!’ Draco declared through a chuckle.

“Oh, I will later…I definitely will” he retorted before lightly flicking his tongue over the tip of his witch’s nose, causing her to giggle as his best friend rolled his eyes.

Once almost everyone had had their turn and Lucy was unfortunately winning, Draco, now standing in between Hermione and Blaise, who were still seated on the stools, straightened his posture as he was the last to go. Taking a sip of the beer he had grown numb to, he cleared his throat and began with Caleb, saving Lucy and Hermione for last because he knew they would be harder to fool. After easily deceiving the former Confederate with a truth about his childhood, and convincing both Ginny and Blaise to believe him when he lied about what he did over the summer and who is former crushes were, he turned to Lucy and smiled wickedly.

“Lucy…” he inhaled slowly as his left brow shot up. “Lucy, Lucy, Lucy…If I’m being completely honest here, when I first met you, I thought you were utterly annoying” he began in all seriousness while giving her his signature Malfoy smirk. “And given the severity of our situation, being stuck here because we got lost and had nowhere else to stay, I would have rather drank your entire supply of that disgusting beer then spend another minute in your presence. But now that I have gotten to sort of know you, you’re…tolerable.”

Lucy’s face fell to sadness as everyone gazed at him in shock before she pressed her tongue against the corner of the inside of her cheek and scowled at him while trying to decipher if what he was saying was true or not. He didn’t exactly give away many clues in terms of what he said, nor did he make it easy to pick his words apart. They all were very much aware of how he hated the taste of the beer and she knew she could be annoying at times, which could mean his statement was true. But at the same time, she couldn’t see the man purposely hurting her feelings in front of her father and his friends. Then again, she had only just met him yesterday and didn’t know him that well.

Draco apparently was also exceptionally good at creating a poker face, which normally she could easily break when she would play cards with some of her regulars that came into the tavern; however, no matter how hard she tried to intimidate the Slytherin, he wouldn’t budge. Giving up, she attempted to answer and hoped she guessed correctly in order to even the score between them. She had never lost a game of Truth or Liar and she wasn’t about to start now with a newbie.

“Trruuuuuu-No lie!” she declared, causing the Prince to lift the shot glass in front of him and quickly down it. “HA!”

“Merlin’s beard, mate!” Blaise spoke in bewilderment. “I thought you were serious for a moment!”

“You honestly believe I would insult Caleb’s daughter right in front of him? Let alone insult her period when she’s been nothing but nice to us?”

“Well technically…” Ginny began but was quickly cut off when Draco raised a hand to stop her without even glancing in her direction.

“Leave it be, Red” he stated as she rolled her eyes and chortled into her hand. “That was years ago.”

“Alright, now you only have Buttercup left” Blaise announced while leaning to the side and crossing his arms as Draco’s mind suddenly went blank. “You deceive her, and you win!” Hermione narrowed her brows, challenging the Malfoy heir to fool her as the blonde just stared, unknowing of what to say.

“Uhhh, Draco?” Caleb probed as everyone raised a brow of confusion. “You alright, friend? She’s not that intimidating now…Well she is, but you know what I mean.”

“I-I-I, um…” he gulped while quickly glancing away for a moment before looking back to the bookworm. “Your-your hair is ugly…” he breathed out the first lie that could come to mind, causing Hermione to narrow her brows and tilt her head to the side.

“Oh, come on!” the Italian uttered in disbelief. “You can definitely do better than that! You’re not even trying!”

“Yeah…Blondie, you’re the one who did her hair…” the redhead added as Draco’s palms began to grow sweaty and his heart raced faster within his chest.

Noticing his distress and the redness growing in the Slytherins’ cheeks, Caleb carefully gave the blonde a knowing look while pointing to Hermione with his eyes, hoping it was enough of an encouragement to help him out. Seeing as the game was his wife’s idea to aid the Prince through alcohol in the first place, he couldn’t fail now. He had to ignite Draco’s strengths in order to assist him; and after getting to know him much better during the night, he had come to realize the Malfoy heirs’ main advantage…was deception. He knew of no one better in the craft, not even his own daughter, which he figured is why Mary-Ann suggested he convince Draco into prevaricating his true feelings. He just prayed Hermione would understand the real words the blonde was about to speak.

“Tell her…” he grunted through gritted teeth, causing the group to eye him skeptically.

“Tell me what…? Draco?”

“I…” he began before gulping once more and licking his lips while the air in is lungs almost ceased to exist. “Hermione…e-everything I am about to tell you…is true…” he declared with a deep exhale. “Please believe me…”

“Draco…? Is-is everything alright?”

“Yes, Hermione…” he lied as beads of sweat began to riddle his forehead. “Everything is fine…”

“What’s wrong?” she asked, making Caleb weakly grin when he noticed how the brunette was finally catching on.

“I…I-I hate…that you have a specific bookmark, which your parents got you for your birthday two years ago, so that when you read you don’t have to crease the corners of the pages because we all know how precious books are to you…”

“What?” she exhaled quickly, completely caught off guard.

“O-or how you bite your bottom lip when you concentrate hard on solving a difficult puzzle…” he nervously confessed as everyone around him went dead quiet. “You infuriate the ever-living shite out of me when you decide to take the long way back to our Common Room just so you can take in the grounds during the evening sunset. I despise the fact that I spent my entire summer after the war, cooped up in my Manor, studying muggle shite in hopes that when we returned to school, I could start some sort of conversation with you.”

“Draco, I-”

“And I hate that every time you open your mouth…my heart doesn’t race, I don’t stutter when searching to find the right words, I don’t have to be nervous try-trying to be so damn perfect for you all the time, and I can breathe around you…” he paused as an overwhelming shock engulfed every inch of the bookworm.

Albeit, realizing that he could say the words he needed to in a lie, he had to get them out before he lost the courage to do so. It was his only chance and it was now…or never. “I don’t want to spend every night falling asleep next to you o-or waking up with you in my arms each morning. I’m…I’m not terrified to lose you. I’m not scared out of my mind thinking I’m gonna wake up in the middle of the night just to find out I was hallucinating the whole thing…hallucinating you. Like-like it was all some nightmare, a hoax, a dirty trick being played on me. I can breathe without you. You’re not the oxygen that fills my lungs or the blood that causes my heart to beat…

“I thought admitting you this would be a lot harder and I haven’t been wanting to tell you for a while now…I-I don’t care about you, I never did…I…” his voice shook as the confession rested on the tip of his tongue and he suddenly felt his own eyes begin to water. He was laying everything on the line and fully opening himself for the first time; doing the one thing he feared more than anything and found every excuse in the book to avoid it. But he had already gone too far; he had no choice anymore but to keep going. “I-I don’t-I’m not falling head over heels in love with you, Hermione…” he breathed out, resulting in gasps to be heard from Ginny and Lucy while Mary-Ann, who was watching in the distance, immediately stopped playing the piano as Hermione sharply inhaled…speechless. “I-I don’t love you…”

As he held his breath, although grateful he was finally able to tell her his true feelings, even if it was in a lie while playing a stupid game, Draco waited anxiously for the Princess to say something, anything. The whole room had gone silent as the people in the tavern apprehensively watched, however, Hermione continued to just sit frozen in shock with parted lips. Without warning, her stomach began to churn wildly, causing nausea to fill her throat as Draco’s eyes searched her soft brown iris’s and think that he had just made the biggest mistake…of his entire life.


	25. Hidden Monster

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **An: Don't worry all, Hermione's response to Draco will come next chapter. This just has to come first :) And thank you to everyone who let me know you're still making it through this mess of a world! It has helped ease my mind to know you're all okay!**

_“I'm bigger than my body, I'm colder than this home, I'm meaner than my demons, I'm bigger than these bones_

_And all the kids cried out, "Please stop, you're scaring me", I can't help this awful energy, God damn right, you should be scared of me, Who is in control?”_

_Control- Halsey_

**Chapter 25- Hidden Monster**

Elizabeth paced back and forth across the length of the iron colored rug, in complete shambles while holding the sides of her temples with the tips of her fingers as all the adults in the Library watched in puzzlement. The muggle mother was officially overwhelmed as Kingsley Shacklebolt stood in front of the map, eyeing her curiously, and she began to panic and hyperventilate.

“What in the bloody hell are you people doing in here?” the dark-skinned Minister questioned with narrowed brows. “What sort of game are you trying to play, Minerva?”

“It’s not a game, Shacklebolt!” Narcissa cut in crudely before the Headmistress had a chance to answer as she helped Elizabeth lean against a bookcase and catch her breath. “You show up out of the blue, drawing fear into the poor woman, who thinks you’re here to arrest her and take her to Azkaban!”

“Azkaban? She’s a muggle! She can’t go to that prison!”

“We know that!” the former Slytherin Queen snapped, causing Kingsley to sneer while flicking his eyes over her.

“Look, Minister” Thorfinn chimed in calmly, “we tried to handle the situation and…well it-”

“Clearly is not handled!” the head wizard stated sternly. “A rich former Death Eater slash criminal, never showed up to his meeting with his parole Auror, forcing me to investigate the matter only to find out four students are trapped in the past! Do you even understand the severity of this situation? The amount of stress I am now under to create a lie in order to protect all of you and keep my job? You have no idea what you people have done! And you, Minerva…” he turned towards the Headmistress, who kept an indifferent expression upon her face. “I thought better of you…If it were Fudge instead of me, I-I could understand, but it’s not. We have always been on the same side…and then you go and keep this from me as if-as if I’m not your friend.”

“Which is exactly why I did not tell you…” she replied firmly. “I’m sorry, Kingsley I really am, but as a member of the Order of Phoenix and as your friend, I could not risk the backlash of favoritism. Half the people in this room are members, whereas a majority of the Ministry was against the Order single-handedly taking on Voldemort when they would have rather us handed Potter over like a pig to slaughter. We are a group of people who simply prefer to do things on our own. You know this.”

“What does that have anything to do with what is happening now? Favoritism? How could you say something like that? Trusting me to help you is not favoritism.”

“It’s not?” Tilting her nose downward while peering over her spectacles, Professor McGonagall eyed the wizard curiously before walking over to the map and studying it. “How exactly is it not favoritism when every one of the Ministry employees knows you would take my word or advice over theirs?” she asked as her eyes drifted over Europe. “How is it not favoritism when we banded together to fight in the shadows during both wars? How is it not favoritism when you personally informed the Wizengamot that they would no longer have a say in how things were run at Hogwarts after everything they pulled over the last three years?” she questioned while turning around, keeping her back straight and her head held high. “I did not want to involve you because we don't need any more animosity between the Order and the Ministry, Kingsley. Any more trouble and they'll look into replacing you sooner than you think.”

“I can handle my own, Minerva!”

“And I was just supposed to trust and assume that you could? Yes, four students are missing and yes, one of them happens to be a former criminal, but please, Kingsley, this is not the worst or even the strangest thing we have had to deal with in our lifetime.”

“And what of the Dark Magic that was used in this home?” he inquired while crossing his arms and tilting his head condescendingly.

“Dark Magic?” Molly gasped in horror while worryingly glancing at her husband.

“Yes, Molly,” Kingsley affirmed sternly, “Dark Magic. You people honestly believe that something as ancient as the magic you used, inside a parolees’ home I might add, wouldn’t come across my desk? There have been countless spells put on this Manor since Draco was put on house arrest, to prevent him from leaving over the summer and to notify us if forbidden magic is used. I don’t know what you people think you’re doing but you have acted like children! It’s unacceptable to go as far as you have!”

“Unacceptable?” Elizabeth queried with fire in her eyes as her gaze shifted from the floor she was now sitting on, and up at the Minister for Magic. “Unacceptable?” she repeated roughly as she scrambled to her feet, pointed a finger at the dark-skinned wizard while she marched towards him, and began to berate him. “How dare you! How dare you come in here and tell us what is unacceptable and what isn’t!” she scolded, causing the African wizard to back up in fear. She reminded him so much of Hermione and even though she didn’t have magic, he now understood where the fiery witch got her bravery from. “Do you have children, Mr. Shakebull? Hmm, do you?”

“Shacklebolt” he corrected while lowering his hands; however, Elizabeth didn’t seem to care. “And no…ma’am.”

“Then how can you waltz in here, into this-this wonderful home, and tell us that what we did to find our children and bring them back is ‘unacceptable’? You have no idea what it’s like to have your child lost in the past! You have no idea the pain or-or the nightmares that plague a parents’ mind knowing that your child is undergoing horrendous tasks and you can’t do anything to protect them! I would give my life to any sort of Dark Magic if it meant that my daughter, and Ginny, a-and those poor boys, could safely return home unharmed! How dare you! You know, Hermione has told me a lot about you, Mr. Shackybutt; about how she looked up to you and couldn’t wait to one day work under you, and this is how you behave? The only reason you are acting like a gormless knob head right now is because your feelings are hurt due to not being included! My-daughter-is-missing! I could care less about your damn feelings! If you want to arrest us, then do it! If not, shut-up and listen!”

As McGonagall held back a smile and Robert awkwardly tapped at his watch, Thorfinn exhaled a large puff of air through his lips, vibrating them as he glanced around the room. Spotting an ordinary candle on the desk next to him, he quickly picked it up and began to examine the wax with pursed lips as Arthur pretended to be interested in the cover of a book. Narcissa bit her bottom lip while gazing at the floor before looking to a shocked Molly standing next to her.

“Molly,” she whispered with a faux smile, “dear, I love your dress, is it new?” she queried, causing the wide-eyed red-headed witch to inelegantly smile and nod her head, understanding that everyone felt awkward and unwilling to stop the muggle mother. Elizabeth on the other hand, continued to angrily stare down Kingsley, who gulped slightly due to a loss of words, as tears formed in her brown eyes.

“If you want to punish anyone in this room for the use of the forbidden magic, then punish me” Elizabeth continued, although in a softer tone. “I’m the one who encouraged Theodore to convince Harry to try the ritual by tapping into his guilty conscious. If I hadn’t, then Harry wouldn’t have connected to Draco and he wouldn’t be having random visions.” She paused while staring off to her left, lost in her own mind before panic started to sink back in. “Visions that come with pain a-and torture…at random times, on random days, with no clues as to when, that are now changing, and now poor Molly’s daughter has to face Jack the Ripper in 1888-”

“Wait, what?” the red-headed wizard spoke in surprise, although Hermione’s mother kept going through her single breath rant, ignoring the now terrified father.

“-and who knows what that Blaise boy is going to have to face, let alone what the last era contains or the fact that their former ancestor was a Confederate soldier guiding them through Gettysburg and oh my God, we don’t even know what Harry will have to suffer through if Draco gets hurt again or-or what he might see in the coming hours, or days, or wee-”

“Liz,” Narcissa swiftly cut in through the woman’s fear-induced word vomit, before clearing her throat and holding up a finger; all the while throwing a quick awkward smile towards Kingsley. “Too much…”

“What…” Kingsley began with wide eyes and narrowed brows, “have you people…done…?”

“Okay, it’s…it’s not as bad as it sounds” Thorfinn stated while slowly lowering the candle in his hand.

“Not as bad as it sounds! Have you lost your minds?”

“We have it under control” the blonde countered rather quickly. “If we have anything under control, or at least somewhat under control, it’s that. Yeah, we don’t exactly know when the Potter boy is going to have a vision or what he’ll see and encounter, but we have someone watching him at all times. He’s never alone, and…Salazar, Kingsley, you know him. Which means you know that he and his friends would have done the ritual with or without help. But without the damn thing none of us would ever know what is happening to those children. No one could have predicted this; and was it wrong to not tell you, of course, it was!”

“You all just expect me to be okay with this?” the Minister asked with a small scoff. “There is a reason all the time-turners have been destroyed.”

“And I told you that I have been searching for that fucking amulet for years! I even got a job to watch over it when I finally found it!”

“And what good did that job do for you?” Kingsley snapped. “What exactly was your plan, Thorfinn…Watch the thing until you die? Then what? Did you even plan to tell the Ministry about finding it oh, I don’t know, maybe before four students found themselves trapped within its grasp!”

“Come on! This isn’t about you or the Ministry!” the former Death Eater argued with furrowed brows of anger.

“Oh, ENOUGH!” Molly screamed with a stomp of her foot, causing everyone to go silent and turn their attention to her. “I have had enough of this back and forth, bickering and bantering, arguing over who is in the wrong and who is acting like a child! I raised seven children and even during the worst years of their teenage lives they behaved better than this! We are the Order of the damn Phoenix, for Merlin’s sake!”

“Molly-” Arthur spoke softly.

“No!” she firmly declared with a raised finger pointed at her husband and tears brewing in her eyes. “I am not about to have anyone tell me what to do right now! Fred is gone, Percy hardly visits, Bill is still managing the werewolf traits from the war, I haven’t seen Charlie in months, George is a mess, Ron is away at school, and now my baby girl has to fight her way through one of the most grueling times in London’s history without me! No one, and I mean no one, is going to stand here harshly debating over who is right and who isn’t! We are adults! And as a mother-” she choked while trying to hold back her sobs, before inhaling deeply, doing her best to contain her wild emotions. “As a mother, who has lost more than any of you will ever know, I am tired…of all the fighting” she wept, allowing the heartache surrounding her soul to take over. “I’m tired of it. Life is far too short, too precious to start ripping each other’s throats out. Mistakes have been made and we are paying the price, but my Gods…this-needs-to-stop. We need to move forward, and we need to do it fast…for our children’s’ sake, for our sake…Otherwise, we won’t survive this…”

Silence engulfed the Malfoy home as Arthur quickly drew his crying wife into his arms and everyone else left in the room, lowered their heads in a mixture of sadness and shame. They all knew Molly was right and they were all well aware that they let their egos get the better of them. It was time they began trusting one another to the fullest extent, regardless of job position or social status. They needed to forget the misgivings and work together.

“What…” Kingsley began in a somewhat shaky voice, cutting through the still air and causing almost everyone to gaze up at him. “Ehem, uh…Wh-what is your plan?” he questioned with sorrowful eyes. “I need to know everything that was done up until this point and everything you plan to do with Harry Potter to keep him safe and his vision hidden from the students at Hogwarts.”

“We can do that” Narcissa claimed gently.

“Good. Let’s start from the beginning. Minerva, you were about to show me the map, yes? Let us go over that for now. Then I’ll return to my office and file some paperwork before alerting Auror Thomas that Draco’s under my watchful eye and has not broken his parole. We can then discuss the situation in further detail in the morning after everyone has had time to rest and has had time to gather their thoughts. Does that work for everyone?”

“I have a few things to take care of in the morning; however, I should be able to return after lunchtime” McGonagall disclosed with a deep sigh. “I trust that everyone here can fill you in on the rest until I arrive.”

“I’ll go put on some tea…” Narcissa stated with a deep exhale. “This is going to be a long day.”

XX

Saturday, May 16th, 1999

Pansy sighed in annoyance as she stood over Luna, whose left hand was hanging off the bed while drool dripped from the side of her mouth as she laid on her stomach, debating on how to wake the Ravenclaw for breakfast. She had already tried yelling the girls’ name, which only caused Luna to roll over into the position she was now in, and poking her ribs, which simply caused the blonde to giggle for a moment and then fall back asleep. Inhaling a sharp breath and exhaling it slowly, the raven-haired Slytherin’s lips turned up in a devilish half-grin, before she grabbed the pillow from under Luna’s head, and began to promptly hit her in the face with it, causing the Ravenclaw to shriek in confusion.

“Jumping Juniper Nougats!” Luna yelled in surprise while quickly sitting up, her hair in shambles as a line of drool ran upwards across her cheek. “What was that for?”

“Wow. I was at least expecting some sort of curse word in there but…that…Wow…”

“Why did you hit me, Pansy?”

“You wouldn’t wake up” she replied while throwing the pillow onto the bed. Walking over to her closet to pick out her loungewear for the day, the raven-haired witch clicked her tongue while trying to decide on one of two long-sleeved loose fitted shirts. “Didn’t want everyone to be waiting on us when we head down for breakfast, and I did try almost everything. You are one heavy sleeper, you know that? Not even Blaise or Theo are that hard to awaken. Did you take a Sleeping draught or something before bed?” she chuckled as Luna wiped the spit off her face and frowned. When the blonde hadn’t answered, Pansy stopped looking at the shirts in her hands and turned her gaze to the girl sitting solemnly on the bed. “Luna, I-I didn’t mean-”

“That’s alright” the blonde waved before standing up and putting her slippers on. “You didn’t know. It’s rare that I take them, but every so often when I can’t fall asleep, I do. Also, for future reference, can you please use an alarm next time? It’s less startling.”

“Sorry…”

“It’s okay, Pans, honestly. This is your room, I’m just a guest; you don’t need to apologize. And after shaking away the shock, I think it’s actually pretty funny how you chose to wake me” she giggled lightly. “I shouldn’t have expected anything less really.”

“Well get dressed. I have a feeling we’ll have to wake the boys for breakfast as well.”

“Ooo, can we hit them with pillows too?” the Ravenclaw inquired cheerfully while Pansy raised a brow and smirked before finally choosing the white off-the-shoulder shirt, which she then tossed on to her bed and returned the other to her closet.

“How about we do something a bit more…staggering, jolting.”

“Like what?” Luna asked as Pansy walked over to her dresser and pulled out a pair of cream-colored cropped leggings.

“Let’s do…I don’t know, something that’s…wet?”

“You want to wake them up with something wet…? You do know they’re going to want to retaliate?”

“Bring it on. A Slytherin loves a good challenge. Plus…I have your brains to help me” she winked. “Those boys don’t stand a chance.”

XX

While sitting on the couch, Pansy curled up against the arm and began to read the history book she had borrowed from the Manor in complete silence. She was never a huge fan of reading before unless it was a romance or a mystery novel, but lately she had found herself wanting to learn more about things that have actually happened in real life. However, in this moment, she wasn’t exactly reading for pleasure.

Hanging above the outside of each of the boys’ doors, was a bucket filled with ice-cold water. Smiling while biting her lower lip, Pansy quickly glanced up at Luna crouched outside of Ron’s bedroom, and waited. The blonde winked before quietly pulling out her wand and transfiguring the snow globe in her hand, into a moving tarantula. Gently setting it on the floor, she spelled the creature under the entryway and then quickly ran down the stairs. Plopping herself on the couch opposite the Slytherin, she beamed happily while picking up a book next to her and began to read.

They didn’t have to wait long however, when a loud blood-curdling scream, that sounded a lot like a female, reverberated through the entire Common Room. It was even less time until Theo, Neville, and Harry rushed to open their doors in a panic, only to find themselves drenched from head to toe and shivering.

“Good morning, boys!” Pansy chirped with a wave of fingers. “Sleep alright, yeah?”

“What the bloody hell is this?” Harry shouted in a mixture of confusion and anger.

Licking his lips, Theo began to scowl menacingly while Neville glanced up at the tipped over bucket magically hovering above his head, when Ron suddenly opened his door, ran out into the hall in terror, only to meet the same fate.

“WHAT THE FUCK!” he screamed as the girls below giggled.

“This was you?” Harry questioned in surprise while looking over the railing.

“Of course, it was!” Theo asserted before Pansy had a chance to open her mouth. “Though, I didn’t expect Lovegood to be in on it! You do know what this means, Pans?”

“Oh, I know” she smirked.

“It’s four against two, we outnumber you! And the last time this happened, Draco, Blaise, and I wiped the floor with you!”

“Outnumber? What in skipping stones is going on here?” Neville inquired while holding his hands across his arms to try and stay warm, until the conversation was over, and he could change his wet clothing.

“Outnumbered, yes,” the Slytherin Princess continued while slowly closing the book in her hands, ignoring the perplexed Gryffindor, “but unlike last time, my dear friend, you now only have Gryffindors on your side. Draco and Blaise aren’t here to help you.”

“That just means the wilder and more courageous my squad will be!”

“True…” she ticked with a wicked grin. “However, Theo, you’re missing one vital detail…I…have a Ravenclaw on my team.”

“Shite…”

“Team, what team? Why the fuck would you do this, Parkinson?” Ron scowled while shaking his hands to remove the water from his skin. “What the hell did we ever do to you?”

Standing up, Pansy adjusted her loose top that hung off her left shoulder, exposing the thin white spaghetti strap underneath, and cleared her throat, signaling Luna to follow her lead.

“You have done plenty to me, Weasley, and I to you over the years; let’s not start now by pretending we haven’t. But we have all lived in this Common room for months fighting and arguing over bullshite. It’s time we steer the stress, and fear, and anxiety, and focus it on something…a little different. It’s time that you gentlemen, get to play Slytherin’s most devious game. Get your thinking caps on, boys, and welcome…to our Prank War” she winked with a devilish smirk, before turning on her heel and walking out the portrait door with her blonde Ravenclaw in tow.

XX

“Do you think we took things too far?” Luna questioned as she and Pansy walked into the Great Hall for breakfast and stopped near the end of the Slytherin table.

“It was a harmless prank, Luna. Trust me, once the boys realize what they’re in for, things are going to escalate, and we’ll have to pull out some big punches to top them.”

“No one’s going to get hurt, right?”

“No, it’s-it’s just a game, Lu; healthy even. It brings us all together and it’ll stop us from fighting over foolish things and worrying about our friends in the past. After everything we’ve been through these last few weeks, we…we need a distraction from it all. I also think it’ll prove to everyone else in the school that nothing is wrong, and we are carrying on like normal.”

“As long as we don’t lose any friends when this is all over. Speaking of which…when will it be over? Who decides the winner?”

“Whoever does the best prank that can’t be topped” she shrugged before hearing rambunctious laughter coming from the Gryffindor table near them.

Both girls turned their gaze to see two seventh year Gryffindor’s sitting on the table while two sixth year Ravenclaws huddled around them. One of the students, a female Claw, appeared to be exceptionally interested in the joke one of the boys on the table had said and practically drooled over the guy, reminding Pansy so much of the person she used to be. “I wonder what’s so funny…”

“Most likely nothing” Luna claimed as she watched her former housemate playfully shove the Gryffindor in the chest. “That’s Striker Dendron” she pointed to the male Ravenclaw. “A Quidditch Chaser and Captain of the Wizarding Chess team, and the person next to him…well that’s Ember Sterling. Brilliant girl, but completely twitterpated when it comes to men; especially when it comes to Houston Night. He’s a seventh year and apparently Gryffindor’s popular new Seeker since Harry could no longer play due to now being an eighth year.” Raising a brow, Pansy gazed at Luna strangely before shaking her head and looking back to the group.

“I really need to start getting used to the words you use…” she stated before turning around to continue talking to her friend. However, Houston’s mate, Daniel Hawks, caused Pansy to halt her movement as he laughed Harry’s name aloud.

“And you should’ve seen the way Potter reacted in class yesterday!” he howled while shoving Striker, who was standing in front of him. “Bloke had lost his bloody mind; I swear to it!”

“You would think for being the ‘Wizarding Savior’,” Houston added with a prideful smirk, “the man would have a little bit more grace when putting out that non-existent fire! That posh, Parkinson, had to escort him out of the room with Weasley!”

“You gotta admit though, Parkinson is one fine slag I wouldn’t mind sinking my dick into!” Dan laughed while pretending to spank the air as he distastefully stuck his tongue out. “Hit and quit it, I say! Add another notch to her bedpost!” he chuckled as Pansy’s hands turned into tight fists.

“Ignore them, Pans” Luna spoke gently while touching the Slytherins’ arm. “They aren’t worth it.”

“You know what” she stated while exhaling a sharp breath, “you’re right” she scoffed loudly. “They’ll eventually get what’s coming to them when they leave this school and realize there’s nothing except coldness left out there. Plus, Daddy would be more than happy to please his little girl by making sure they never get a good job!”

“That’s the right attitude!” the blonde pipped with a warm grin while Pansy’s scowl tightened. “I think…” she frowned for a moment before shaking the idea away and went back to blissfully smiling.

“Wouldn’t be surprised” Houston continued, “if Potter wasn’t already shagging that. Although his experience with women is most likely limited. Then again Parkinson would be considered an upgrade, I supposed, compared to Weasley’s sister and that Chang girl who never returned after the war. Must have scared her off with his wee pecker!”

“That’s it!” Pansy declared through a clenched jaw. “It’s one thing to talk bad about me, it a whole different story to talk bad about Harry! I mean who does that prat think he is?”

“Pansy, no! If you create a scene, things could go from bad to worse” Luna begged. “The Headmistress is right there. Do you honestly want to get detention for shouting at a few underclassmen?”

“They’ll need a much larger punishment for when I’m through with those tossers!”

“Pansy…Please. Don’t…”

As Luna continued to plead with the Slytherin Princess, Harry, Neville, Theo, and Ron entered the Great Hall after drying themselves off and changing their clothing, causing Pansy to loosen her fists and inhale a deep breath. She did her best to think about how Harry would handle the situation and instead of shouting at the group being impassive and revolting, she chose to swallow her pride and tune out the gits causing her demons to surface.

Taking in another deep breath and letting it out slowly, Pansy smiled and waved at the Gryffindor Prince, who had glanced in her direction, but it seemed Harry either didn’t see her or was looking past her. Frowning and slowly lowering her hand, the Slytherin narrowed her brows in a somber confusion before weakly smiling at Luna.

“I uh…Do-do you wanna have breakfast with me?” she asked the Ravenclaw rather quickly, completely catching her off guard. “I um…I-I don’t really wanna eat alone right now.”

“Of course! I was going to eat with Neville at the Gryffindor table. Would you like to join us?”

“Would…would they allow me to do that?”

“I don’t see why not. After the war, most houses haven’t really eaten at their own tables anymore.”

“No, I-I mean would they let me…” she inquired while pointing to the rest of the Gryffindors seated at the long table. “I’m a Slytherin, Luna…it would be a first for one to sit there. It would cause everyone to talk.”

“Pansy…” Luna tilted her head and produced a warm smile, “no one cares anymore. The past is in the past…Let’em talk. Besides, Theodore is already sitting there, so really it would be a second…not a first. Come on! I’m sure Harry would enjoy you sitting with him.”

XX

After an hour of having to awkwardly sit at her former enemy’s table and endure watching as Harry practically ignored her while some random female underclassman flirted with him, Pansy paced back and forth in her bedroom as she tried to understand what was going on. First, she had to listen to those awful Gryffindors bad mouth both her and Harry, and then she had to deal with the raven-haired wizard practically ignoring her for no reason. She couldn’t figure out if he was purposely trying to hurt her as revenge for the prank, she and Luna had pulled that morning, or if her fears of him no longer liking her, or even worse, pretending to ever like her, coursed through her mind.

She knew she should calm down because things never seemed to be as extreme as she thought they would be and tried to reason with herself that she was simply overreacting. But after her boyfriend, or whatever he was, began to flirt in return with the stupid nameless Hufflepuff at breakfast, she almost snapped and flipped the pile of eggs into the girls’ face.

Pansy knew she was the type of girl with a temper, although she had been trying for so long to reign in her demons and manage her anger. However, without Healer Marcum around to help calm her with a therapy session until the following day, she feared she may end up losing all control before she had a chance to show Harry how much she had changed. That is…if he even still wanted to go out to dinner with her that night. She had no idea anymore because he had barely said two words to her all day.

“Pansy?” Theo called from outside her door, stopping the Princess momentarily from destroying the area rug she had repeatedly walked over. “Hey Pans, you in there? Lovegood said you were up here.”

“What do you want, Theo?” she asked as nicely as she could, although he could hear the bit of anger in her voice. If anyone knew Pansy and knew her well, it was him; and he could tell that something was bothering her, he just couldn’t figure out what.

“Could you open the door?”

“No! What do you want?”

“Pansy, you either open this door or I’ll break it down. Your choice.”

Huffing angrily through her nose, Pansy stomped her foot in frustration before quickly opening her bedroom door. While producing the worst faux grin her housemate had ever seen, Theo studied the witch’s face for a moment before crossing his arms and giving her a knowing look.

“Okay…what’d he do?” he asked after sighing heavily.

“What? Who? What are you talking about?” she questioned with a hint of panic in her eyes. Realizing that his friend didn’t want anyone to know just yet who she was apparently dating, the brunette Slytherin raised a brow and smirked.

“Well, I figure it’s either the guy you’re seeing is being an utter arse or it’s a guy you want to see but is being an utter arse. Which is it?”

“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about” she claimed with her head held high.

“You know, Pans, you’ve learned a lot of traits being around Draco all these years but lying is not one of the many talents you picked up, so spill. Who hurt you so I can beat the ever-loving shite out of them in order to make you happy again?”

“No one hurt me, Theo. A-and I appreciate you caring, but I can take care of myself.”

“Oh, I know you can. But I’d rather get detention for kicking the blokes’ arse than see you having to clean the first year’s cauldrons for three nights straight.”

“I’m fine, Theo…”

“Says almost every woman…ever. Listen, I know shite has been chaotic the last couple of weeks and you want to start this prank war to distract us all, and that’s great…but that doesn’t mean you should allow some muppet to hurt your feelings…not even me. Which by the way,” he crossed his arms and put his hands in his pockets while exhaling a deep breath through his nose, “I never actually apologized to you for the other day. I was a right git for arguing with you…and an even worse friend for calling out your stage fright in front of everyone. I was still really pissed off but that’s no excuse for hurting you. I’m sorry, Pansy.”

Softening her features while looking the brunette up and down in bewilderment, the raven-haired witch inhaled a sharp breath and relaxed her shoulders.

“I’m sorry too. You know…for starting the fight with you.”

“You know you can tell me anything, right?” he stated with a small tilt of his head, hoping that she would entrust her secret with someone and not keep it locked inside, where it will end up doing more harm than good for both her and for Harry. “You can trust me, Pansy.”

She looked like she was about to say something, finally reveal the person she had grown to care so much about, but Pansy just weakly smiled as she rubbed her right arm with her hand and gently bit her lower lip.

“We’re going to be late for lunch and I know how much Luna wanted to study for the N.E.W.T.s coming up.” Folding his lips inward in defeat, Theo nodded his head and removed one of his hands from his pocket before offering the witch his arm in order to escort her down the stairs.

“Then let’s not make her wait.”

Entwining her arm through his, Pansy walked down to the main area of the Common Room and greeted Luna with a warm smile as she did her best to not think about the events of that morning. Releasing his friend, Theo nodded once before turning his attention to the guys waiting on the couch.

“Took you long enough!” Ron expressed while kicking his feet off the cushions they were resting on and stood. “If I don’t eat soon, I may starve!”

“Why are you always so over-dramatic about food, Ron?” Harry inquired before glancing briefly at Pansy.

For the second time in the day, the Slytherin witch had smiled warmly at him, causing his nerves to shoot into overdrive. Quickly looking away as fast as he could, after giving her a half-assed polite grin, he pulled his focus back to Ron, who was now scuffing up Neville’s hair. Pretending to laugh at whatever was happening, Harry began to follow his friends out the portrait door as Pansy began to discreetly scowl in annoyance so Luna wouldn’t catch on.

As the girls carried their books through the corridors, Luna suddenly ceased their steady pace after she had rounded the corner, and swiftly held out an arm to stop Pansy from going any further.

“What the hell, Luna?” Pansy questioned as one of the tomes in her hands fell to the stone floor.

“Uhh, you know what, Pans, I don’t think I’m hungry anymore.”

“What?” she queried with narrowed brows as she picked up the book she had dropped. “Don’t be ridiculous. You’ve been complaining since breakfast that you didn’t eat enough and couldn’t wait for lunch because if you didn’t eat the correct amount during the day to help keep you ‘positive’, then the Wrackspurts would fly through your ears and cause you momentary confusion.”

“Well, I just realized I did eat enough and no longer need food to make me happy.”

“What has gotten into you? You’re a terrible liar, you know that? And you’re acting really strange” she claimed before shaking her head and walking off. But as she rounded the corner that led to the Great Hall, Pansy instantly stopped walking and finally understood what had her newfound friend acting so odd.

Standing just outside the grand doors, were their four male housemates talking and laughing with a few younger Hufflepuffs. Any other day the encounter would seem normal and friendly, however, the longer she remained fixed on Harry, the more she saw the sixth year nameless Hufflepuff drooling over every word he spoke. She could handle other women flaunting and hanging themselves all over the Golden Boy, but what Pansy couldn’t handle, was watching the guy she was secretly seeing, carelessly encourage the girl by flirting as well.

Her blood began to boil as an uncontrollable rage filled her heart and soul, and the raven-haired witch finally realized how much Harry didn’t care about her and how he had lied about everything he had told her. She wanted to scream at him, cry, break something, but instead chose to take a deep breath and not let the Gryffindor get to her anymore. If he wanted to act like she didn’t matter, then she was going to do the same.

“Do…Do you want me to just grab some food and bring it back to the Common Room…? To avoid them…” Luna sweetly queried as she watched her dormmate try and hold back the tears welling in her hardened eyes.

Pansy was silent for a long moment as she continued to stare ahead of her, before Harry and the rest of the students surrounding him, walked into the Great Hall without even looking in their direction. A small gasp could be heard from the Slytherin’s porcelain lips, resulting in Luna feeling even more empathetic to her situation. She knew Harry and felt there had to be a logical explanation for his sudden avoidance of the girl he had passionately kissed, more than once. However, the heartbreak and anger residing in Pansy’s’ features made her realize just how much the witch cared for her friend.

“No…” Pansy declared firmly, finally breaking through the sadness that had enveloped her. “I am not going to allow him to win. If he wants to pretend like I’m a stranger, then I am going to show him that it doesn’t affect me.”

“Are you sure? We can just grab something to go and I can try and talk to him later.”

“I said ‘no’, Luna!”

“Okay…” the blonde replied in a slight whimper before following the very pissed off Slytherin to lunch.

Entering the Great Hall. The girls went left towards the Slytherin table, doing their best to avoid even looking in the direction of Harry and his friends, and were about to take a seat at the end when the sound of Houston and Dan laughing caught their attention. Glancing up at the boys entering the room, followed by the two Ravenclaws from earlier, Luna frowned when she noticed the foursome make their way over to the eighth years beginning to dig into the fried chicken.

Ron didn’t seem to care about the new arrivals and continued to eat the chicken like it was the last meal he would ever have, but as Harry looked up and scowled menacingly at the ‘popular’ kids standing across from him, Pansy knew something was wrong. Theo looked back and up at the boys towering over him as he sat next to Neville and raised a brow before turning his gaze to Harry in confusion.

“Merlin, Potter,” Dan chuckled while slapping his friend in the arm with the back of his hand, “Parkinson not giving out so you moved on to men?” he laughed as Houston sneered, reminding everyone in the vicinity so much of Draco, except with dark brown hair.

“Nah, Dan…Parkinson’s too good for him. He could never get into her knickers if he was the last man on earth. However, I think Nott is over here for a very specific reason.”

“And what the bloody hell is that supposed to mean?” Theo snapped. “Who the fuck are you anyway? Go sit with the other underclassman where you fucking belong, you little shite.”

“Oh, ho, ho!” Houston laughed while grinning at his friends. “Someone’s got a lip on them, don’t they?”

“Malfoy isn’t here, Nott” Dan fake pouted. “He can’t stick up for you.”

“Doesn’t seem to stop you from trying to be like him, huh?” Theo sneered with a small scoff.

“You know, Hue…” Dan continued while pretending he didn’t hear Theo, “I haven’t seen Zabini either…”

“You know you’re right…Where are they?” Houston questioned while tapping his finger on his chin. “I mean, you lot disappear for almost a week and then return to school without Granger, Weasley’s sister, Malfoy, or Zabini. Did you lot murder them because your hero complex got the better of you and you needed someone to take your nightmares out on to feel like you saved the world again?” he scoffed callously.

“It’s none of your damn business, Night!” Harry claimed while standing up and pressing his hands firmly against the top of the table, causing Ron to suddenly stop eating and finally look up at the boys smirking and laughing. “And for your information, Hawk, Theo is over here because he is ALL of our friends! If you have a problem with that, then you can speak to Professor McGonagall. If not, then kindly fuck off!”

“Well, well, well…Someone has a temper too, I see” Dan ridiculed. “Poor Potter, he’s run out of people to be friends with and has turned to a slimy, no-good, insignificant Slytherin, who sits at our table thinking he’s some sort of tough shite!”

Having had enough of the boys ruthlessly taunting them, Theo quickly stood and was now inches from Dan’s face as he glowered threateningly, ready to take the group on single-handedly. But as the brunette Slytherin was dangerously close to punching or hexing, he hadn’t decided yet, the clown in front of him, Pansy quickly stood from the bench with rage in her heart. She was sick of the bad day she was having and after hearing the boys ruthlessly taunt one of her closest friends…she had finally had enough.

Allowing resentment, acrimony, and enmity to overtake her, Pansy began to walk towards the Gryffindor table but suddenly felt a strong hand grip her bicep, stopping her from pressing forward.

“Pansy, don’t. Please just let it be…” Luna asserted with beseeching eyes, but Pansy…was no longer listening. Shaking the blondes’ hand from off her arm, the Slytherin Princess’s irises grew dark as all care…left her body. “Pansy, stop!”

Theo heard the sudden shout from their Ravenclaw housemate and quickly turned his attention to behind Dan. Seeing Pansy storming towards him with black eyes and sparking hair, caused a fear he had never felt before, to settle in the pit of his stomach. Swiftly side-stepping, which resulted in the younger Gryffindor to coldly laugh, Theo watched as Pansy rapidly reached up with her right hand, grip the boy by the back of the head, and slammed his face hard into the mashed potatoes left on the brunette wizards’ plate.

Harry, Neville, and Ron all gasped in utter shock as the latter immediately stood in horror, and the rest of the Hall went eerily quiet. Professor McGonagall rose from her seat with widened eyes and abruptly began to gather her dress robes in order to stop the assault happening in her school.

“You think you’re some brave little lion, huh?” Pansy whispered sinisterly into Dan’s ear as he cried out in pain. “You have no idea the horrors of the world, you manky little shite. You have no idea the pain and the suffering, the torture we had to go through so that your pathetic arse could come back to this school.”

“Get off him, you crazy bitch!” Houston yelled while seizing Pansy’s upper arm, a mistake he would end up wishing he had never made. Grasping the Seeker by the throat while still holding Dan against the wooden table, Pansy turned her dark uncaring eyes towards Houston, instilling a fear deep within his soul and causing him to begin wetting his pants.

“And where…the fuck…were you?” she questioned as he clawed and hit her arm repeatedly to no avail, but to his astonishment, the Princess never once winced or showed any sort of concern for the pain he knew he was causing her. “Oh, I know…You were hiding at home because your poor mum couldn’t stand to see her sweet innocent son hurt during the battle, while the rest of us watched as people were slaughtered and raped in front of us. We had to remember what we were fighting for while you played Wizarding Chess with your mates safely tucked away. You’re a coward…” she spat through gritted teeth as the Headmistress quickened her pace down the aisle between tables and the rest of the Professors hastily followed.

“That’s enough, Ms. Parkinson! Release those boys this instant!” she demanded with her wand firmly in her hand, before seeing the black in Pansy’s irises, forcing her to halt her stride and those of the Professors behind her. “Oh, dear Merlin…!” she gasped with a hand clasped against her chest. “No one touch her! Everybody stay back!”

“Pansy!” Harry began to plead with a heavy breath while disregarding what McGonagall had said and leaned forward to get closer to the pissed off girl. “What are you doing? Stop…Let them go…please, Pansy…” However, the Princess simply ignored the people around her and turned her attention back to Dan crying into Theo’s lunch while releasing her hardened grip around Houston’s throat. Inhaling sharply while stumbling backward into the stunned Striker and Ember, the dark-haired wizard, terrified of what the witch before him could do, immediately ran from the Great Hall, leaving a lingering odor of fresh urine in his wake.

“Seems your friend isn’t really your friend after all” she chuckled wickedly. “I thought Gryffindor’s were supposed to be brave. Looks like you both were sorted into the wrong house…” she ridiculed. “You disgust me.”

“What do you want from me?” Dan whimpered, his tears falling into the potatoes as the left-over chicken bones scattered off the plate, resulting in Pansy shoving his face harder into the food.

“What do I want?” she questioned malevolently. “What I want, worm, is for you to keep your damn nose out of other people’s business! But seeing as you don’t seem capable of doing that on your own, it appears someone has to show you the hard way. Still wanna put your dick in me?” she queried venomously. “That is, if you even have one now that the whole school can see how much of a naff coward you and your friend really are. How’s this for ‘hit it and quit it’?” she asked through gritted teeth while pressing harder on his head. “By the way, Danny…it takes a lot to frighten a Slytherin. Our minds are like a deadly disease you could only dream of understanding and our demons…are so much more terrifying.”

“Pansy, that’s enough!” Harry shouted while pulling out his wand. “You’re scaring everyone-”

“You’re scaring everyone” she mocked while tilting her head back and forth. “Gods damn right, they should be scared of me!” she claimed strongly before lifting her gaze to Harry’s; however, he didn’t flinch like she expected him to, causing her anger to rise even further. “And you should be too…” she alleged before pushing off Dan’s face while simultaneously withdrawing her hold, all the while never removing her blackened eyes from the man, she felt betrayed her trust. Nevertheless, the anger she felt towards the Boy-Who-Lived, pleading with her, wasn’t enough for her to want to hurt him, and she suddenly felt a bit calmer while staring into his gaze, causing the darkness in her eyes to slowly disappear.

Turning on her heel as her long raven-colored hair whipped through the air, Pansy stormed out of the Great Hall as Dan stood up and McGonagall rushed to his side to check on him. Luna quickly chased after the Slytherin witch while the rest of the Hall began to murmur in an indistinct chatter.

“Blimey…” Ron stated in a mixture of shock and confusion. “Godric, I knew loyalty was big in all houses, but holy hell did she take it a step further…That was terrifying…and hot!” Looking to his red-headed friend in a mixture of disgust and disbelief, Harry scoffed once before hurrying out of the room, leaving Ron holding up his hands in bewilderment. “What? What’d I say?”

Theo crossed his arms and smirked at the redhead before turning towards Dan, sitting on the bench as Madam Pomfrey looked him over for any lasting injuries. Walking up to the crowd of Professors, speaking about what had just happened and what they should do, Theo glanced down at the seventh year and tilted his head.

“I would say be glad it wasn’t me, but watching you cry like a little bitch after a girl showed you up…Priceless…”

“Theodore Nott!” Pomfrey began to scold as Theo chuckled slightly.

“I would also say ‘I’m sorry’, Madam, but that would be a lie, cause I’m definitely not” he claimed firmly before reaching out, swiping his finger over Dans’ cheek, and tasting the potatoes left over from his lunch. “Needs butter…” he laughed before walking away as Dan’s bottom lip trembled and fresh tears began to fall from his starch-covered lashes.

XX

“Can someone please explain to me what the heck just happened at lunch?” Neville inquired after he had stopped his pacing in the middle of the eighth year Common Room and glanced back and forth at everyone standing around in worry. “What was that, Professor? Why did her eyes do that? Is she dangerous? Do we have to keep an eye on her too?”

“No-” Headmistress McGonagall began, but was quickly cut off as Theo began to argue with Neville. Luna tried to reassure the boys that Pansy was not a threat, but it seemed that no one would listen.

However, while Pansy stayed locked in her room and listened from the other side of her door, dejected and alone, Ron remained quiet the entire time his housemates argued, although watched as Harry every so often, glanced up at the Princess’s room in hopes that she may emerge. He didn’t exactly know what drew his best friend to become close with the Slytherin, but as he continued to keep an eye on Harry, the more he realized the raven-haired wizard wasn’t angry or confused like the rest of them. He actually appeared to be more upset and worried about Pansy than anything.

“Is she going to end up being the next Tom Riddle?” Neville shouted over everyone as concern filled every inch of his body, forcing a silence to engulf the room. “What happened back there?”

“A result of war…” McGonagall declared in an almost whisper after a few seconds of silence, resulting in the students to all gaze at her with troubled eyes. “You all have it in you…Those who fought…Those who suffered tremendous loss…I had hoped none of you would show symp-”

“What is it?” Harry cut in with a cracked voice.

“A anima mea denigrata…”

“I’m sorry, a what?” Theo questioned with furrowed brows of confusion and a raised hand.

“A blackened soul…” Ron answered sorrowfully with his arms crossed.

“And how the hell do you know that?” the brunette Slytherin asked incredulity.

“Because of George…” he admitted softly. “The first time it happened was the day we buried Fred…that day made everything real for him, I guess. Mum didn’t know what to do and took him to St. Mungo’s after he had calmed down some, which is when they told us.”

“So, you’re saying it’s like…like some sort of disease?” Neville questioned woefully. “And it can happen again?”

“It’s not a disease, Mr. Longbottom” McGonagall replied as Ron lowered his head, took a seat on one of the couches, and stared at the ground. “When a person…like all of you…has gone through extreme stress, stress usually caused by a war, but not always, where loss of the ones you know and love…” she trailed off as silent tears began to well in the eyes of all those listening. “One’s magic will…fluctuate…when angered or saddened beyond a persons’ control. It runs wild and cannot be tamed until it has run its course. Manifested blackened eyes is the magical signal, along with the sparking of magic through the hair or fingertips. When in that state, a person can be remarkably dangerous. I do not wish to go into details, but there was only one instance I can recall during the first Wizarding War, where a person’s entire body had flared and an explosion of magic burst through them; killing several muggles and injuring multiple wizards within a fifty-yard radius. It’s not the same as raw magic and nor is it the same as an Obscurial; however, what I had feared for you all has come to pass. If Ms. Parkinson has shown signs of a anima mea denigrata, then the four trapped may as well.”

“But…” Theo began while unseeingly staring at the coffee table in front of him. “But Blaise never fought in the war. He wasn’t there during the Battle of Hogwarts, so does that mean he won’t…you know?”

“I’m afraid we won’t know unless Mr. Potter sees it in a vision or until they return home. Although, the group has seen many deaths, I feel it would take a very specific event to cause Mr. Zabini to lose control. From what I know of his character, he is more reasonable and able to contain his emotions better than the others, I feel he won’t break until his own trial; whatever and wherever that may be.”

“Wait…” Harry expressed with a raised hand as he removed his gaze from off of Pansy’s door. “One of them already did…”

“What do you mean, Harry” Ron queried, finally lifting his eyes from the floor. “Who?”

“Draco did…when he saved ‘Mione. I-I didn’t see his eyes because well, I was in his head, but…I could feel it. It-it wasn’t like anything I had ever felt before and I have felt a lot of dark power in my life. It was like…” he paused for a second and licked his lips while looking off to his left, trying to think of the right words. “Like pure untapped hatred a-and anger was running through my veins and I couldn’t get a handle on it. Like the emotions were taking over and I had no choice but to let it happen. But it had a direction, you know? His magic knew who it wanted to target, it was focused; and as soon as ‘Mione spoke, it was as if a giant weight lifted off me…off him…The same thing I think, happened with Pansy.”

“Her eyes did go back to normal after she looked at you…” Ron claimed with narrowed brows of concentration. “Maybe her anger wasn’t fully focused on you. I mean, she did seem extremely pissed off at you, but…I think Theo almost getting in a fight is what caused her to snap.”

“What’s going to happen to her, Professor?” the Gryffindor Prince questioned concerningly. “Are you going to expel her?”

“No…” McGonagall smiled warmly. “This was something beyond anyone’s control. I think the poor dear has suffered enough already. Although, Mr. Hawk and Mr. Night will think she has been given a week’s worth of detention for her ruthless attack on them. They will, however, receive detention of their own for starting a fight and points will be taken from both Gryffindor and Slytherin House. I will ask that you all keep a close eye on your housemate. If she, or any one of you, shows signs of this sort of magic, please inform a Professor as soon as you can.

“It is critical that you also keep everyone at a safe distance until help arrives. There is not much we can do to stop the process, but with enough of us to produce a protective shield around the person, we can contain the magic. Wizards cannot die if a burst is to happen, although you can be seriously hurt. Do not try to take matters into your own hands, do you understand? I know how you lot are. Madam Pomfrey has enough on her plate as it is, she does not need a room full of injured students to tend to as well. Now I must head back to Malfoy Manor to tend to a few things. I am trusting that you will give your friend the space she needs to reign in her emotions before trying to speak with her.”

“Of course, Professor” Luna answered sweetly as Harry went back to gazing at Pansy’s door and everyone else remained quiet.

“Very well. If you need me, you know how to contact me.”

With that being said, Professor McGonagall bowed her head and exited the Common Room, leaving the group of students alone with their thoughts. After an hour had passed and Pansy denied anyone except Luna, to enter her room, Ron paced back and forth in front of the lit fireplace and thought about how crushed Harry was that the Slytherin refused to speak with him. While the raven-haired wizard was still unaware that the redhead knew something was up between the pair, and hid away in his own quarters pretending he was upset about what happened with Houston and Dan, Ron decided to take it upon himself and cheer his friend up the only way he knew how.

Exhaling a deep breath, Ron raced up the stairs and nervously knocked on the door of his once former enemy. The entryway cracked open after a moment of no answer, and Luna poked her head out with a small smile upon her lips.

“Oh hello, Ronald” she asserted while stepping out and closing the door behind her. “How are you doing? Is Harry alright?”

“Hi, Luna…Can-can I speak with Parkinson for a moment?”

“Oh…No…” she replied sweetly. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. She seems exceptionally upset right now. I think that Wrackspurts have entered her mind because of her saddened spirit and are causing her to create these silly notions in her head. She believes she’s cursed and that everyone now hates her.”

“Luna…I know about her and Harry. I need to talk to her…Please.”

“H-how do you know about-”

“I figured it out on my own really” he cut in while placing his hands in his pockets and shrugging. “Look, she doesn’t have to worry, Harry didn’t say anything, and I won’t tell anyone. He doesn’t even know that I know…But I have to talk to her. You understand, right?”

“That’s very nice of you, but Pansy doesn’t need you yelling and threatening her right now, Ronald. I have seen how you used to treat Ginny’s boyfriends and even Hermione when she briefly dated Krum. I know you have grown up since then, but I don’t want to risk her having another episode because you’re trying to protect your best friend. However, she is now my best friend and her state of mind is fragile at the moment.”

“Luna,” Ron stated softly, “you have my word…I just want to talk to her. I promise, I’m not going to yell or freak out. It’s important.”

“Well…” she ticked while thinking strongly about his request. “If it’s important…You swear you won’t hurt her feelings?”

“I swear. You said it yourself, I’m protective of Harry. And right now, he is a mess and is worried about her. I hate seeing him like this. I think he just wants answers and if she won’t speak to him…”

“Alright...I’ll allow it. But if you hurt her, you’ll leave me no choice but to inform the Headmistress. ”

“I won’t, Luna. Please just trust me.”

“I trust you, Ronald. It’s just your temper that is cause for concern. Very well, if you need me, I’ll be downstairs reading my father’s latest article on Blibbering Humdingers. They’re outstanding creatures, you know. Would you like the latest copy of the Quibbler?” she asked with a tilt of her head.

“Uhh, sure…You can leave it in my room, I suppose.”

“Okay! You’re going to love it! Father even mentions Gulping Plimpys, which are-”

“That’s great, Luna,” he quickly interrupted with a faux smile, “and I’ll read it later” he lied, knowing he had no interest in reading about the imaginary creatures the Lovegood’s believed in. “Can I go in now?”

“Oh, yes!” she beamed before stepping aside and allowing the red-headed Weasley access to the dorm. “I’ll see you later!” she waved while skipping to the stairs as Ron raised a brow and shook his head.

Without thinking about it beforehand, because if he did, he was sure he was going to regret ever thinking he could pull this off, Ron grasped the handle on the dark wood door, and slowly began to open the entryway. Anxiously stepping inside the neatly decorated room, he spotted Pansy curled into a ball on her bed and facing the wall. She didn’t know he had entered nor was she aware that he could hear her soft sobs as she cried into her pillow, making Ron suddenly feel overwhelmingly bad for the girl. Taking a step forward, he exhaled a gentle breath before taking a seat on the edge of her bed.

“Please leave me alone, Luna…” she whimpered while pulling the second pillow in her arms closer to her chest. “I don’t want to talk about it…”

“It’s a good thing I’m not Luna then” he claimed kindly, causing the raven-haired witch to quickly jump up in a panic and hug the wall with her back. Wiping at her face, smearing her mascara across her cheeks, she grasped the pillow tighter in her arms and gazed at Ron like he had just insulted her.

“Merlin saggy left tit, Weasley! What are you doing in here? Where’s Luna? I told her to not let anyone in!”

“Calm down, Parkinson, I’m not here make you anymore upset…I just wanted to talk to you.”

“Why?” she questioned skeptically as she slightly lowered the pillow tightly tucked against her chest.

“Because,” he sighed heavily “you’re a mess, Harry’s a mess, Theo is worried, Neville thinks you’re going to be the next Dark Lord, and if we don’t talk about what’s going on, then I’ll be forced to read the Quibbler and have no excuse as to why I didn’t when Luna asks me about Blibbering Humdingers.”

“What?” she breathed out in confusion.

“Nothing…Listen um-”

“I know everyone’s terrified of me…” she admitted sorrowfully while fresh tears began to brew in her dark brown eyes.

“What? No, they-”

“It’s okay, Weasley, I know they are. I don’t blame them. I…I-I scared myself too…I knew what I was capable of and…it’s not the first time that’s happened to me. I-I don’t want my friends to be scared of me…” she spoke sullenly while turning her gaze to the crisp white sheet she was sitting upon. “I didn’t mean to hurt them…” her voice cracked as her jaw began to quiver, “I just wanted them to stop talking.”

“Pansy…” Ron spoke with a hint of perturbation in his voice while getting more comfortable on the mattress by bringing his left leg up and turning towards the Slytherin to see her better. “Do-do you mind if I call you…you know?” After she had shaken her head, he continued. “Pansy, I-I know we aren’t really friends, let alone close, but sometimes talking to someone who doesn’t really know you that well is easier…I know what you’re dealing with because I have faced it before with my brother. Anyway, what I’m trying to say is, well ask really, is what led you to get that angry? What happened after you and Luna left the Common Room this morning?”

“It’s stupid…” she confessed, but not willing to reveal exactly why she allowed her magic to run wild.

“It’s not stupid…” he stated with a small tilt of his head. “Was it because of Harry?”

“Why would it be about Harry? Why does everything have to be about him?” she snapped while gripping the pillow tightly in her hands.

“Because it’s Harry” he chuckled, causing her to meet his gaze. “And I know he’s got a thing for you, even if he doesn’t know that I know.”

“H-ho-”

“I have eyes, you know…and I’m not as dumb as I look either” he shrugged. “A klutz, yes, lazy, absolutely, but stupid…no. I’m not against it. We’ve both matured a lot over the year and I know I can’t control who he dates and who he fancies, but you have to tell me…What exactly did he do, Pansy, to hurt you enough to want to rip out those guys throats?”

“He…” she lowered her gaze while thinking about how foolish it would sound saying it out loud. She knew she overreacted but that still didn’t stop her from feeling hurt and betrayed. “He avoided me…all day” she admitted with a small shrug. “It sounds ridiculous, I know, but…after he kissed me and asked me on a date back at Malfoy Manor, I-I thought I finally found someone who could understand what I went through. And told me about how much he liked me and…and we talked for almost two hours about everything the other night…But for him to just ignore me and then flirt with that…that girl…”

“He made you feel like he used you…” he finished, and she nodded her head in confirmation before he raised his lips into a half-grin. “He didn’t use you, Pansy…He was nervous. He’s been acting strange since yesterday and it’s been driving me barmy wondering what was wrong with him. I-I’m assuming the date he asked you on is tonight, isn’t it? It would explain why he’s been acting like a pillock.”

“Yeah…well…it was supposed to be…”

“I’m sure it still can be. Look, if anyone knows Harry better than Harry, it’s me. He’s fancied less than a handful of women in his life and hasn’t exactly gone on a lot of dates. Cho was an absolute disaster because she was still pining over Cedric, may he rest in peace, and Ginny…well with Ginny they mostly hung out as friends with a wee bit of romance thrown in there. It’s one of the reasons they broke up. As for that girl you saw him with today, he wasn’t flirting with her. She was hanging all over him and he was just trying to be nice. Mate is clueless as to what flirting actually is. But he did ask her repeatedly to stop in the hall and was doing his best to try and not yell at her. To be honest, she was beginning to annoy all of us.

“If Theo didn’t lie and tell her that Harry was gay and they were in a very intense relationship, she probably would have tried to snog him in front of all of us. Now that I think about it, it’s probably a good thing she didn’t because if you saw that, I’m sure it would be the end of both her and Harry’s lives” he chuckled as Pansy just stared at him. “Ehem anyway, listen, I’m going to tell you this in confidence since you seem to be so good at keeping secrets…Harry really likes you. I’ve never seen him fancy someone as much as he fancies you.”

“What?’ she queried with narrowed brows. “Wait…if-if he didn’t tell you-”

“His actions speak louder than words, Pansy, I’m sure he’s mentioned that to you. The fact that he ignored you showed how nervous he was to take you out tonight. He even went as far as to laugh at my pumpkin pasties joke, which I know for certain he hates and gives me shite for. And adding in the fact that he is willing to keep your relationship a secret for you, shows just how much he likes you and doesn’t want to mess anything up. I know you’re worried about his feelings for you after what happened at lunch, so I should also mention that out of everyone in the Great Hall…he was the only one to show that he wasn’t scared of you. He cares about you, Pansy, and it’s none of my business as to why or even how this came about, but the bloke is hiding out in his room upset because you won’t let him in. He can be a sensitive guy at times and has lost so much in his life…Don’t let him lose you too.”

“Everything I touch…breaks…” she claimed with a small wince as a tear slipped down her cheek. “I’m afraid I already ruined my chances with him.”

“I don’t think you did. If anything, you just showed a side no one’s ever seen before. A frightening yet intriguingly hot side, I’ll admit” he chuckled, causing Pansy to giggle slightly. “We all have our flaws, Pans, and though you may have ruined mashed potatoes for me for a while” he laughed lightly again, “we all understand that none of us are perfect. Give him a chance; I’m sure he’ll surprise you.” Standing up and walking over to the door, Ron grasped the handle but didn’t open it just yet and instead turned back to face the Slytherin Princess now sitting on her bed hugging her knees. “Pansy…?” he began. Pansy lifted her gaze to the man she could have sworn hated her guts and bit her bottom lip gently as she waited to see if he would suddenly change his mind about being nice to her and instead threaten her to not hurt his best friend.

“Y-yeah?” she anxiously choked out.

“I’d liked to be your friend too…if you’ll have me? I don’t ever want to be like the old Ron and…if you ever feel like you have no one to talk to, or you just want someone to grab a Butterbeer with and shoot the shite, or even just sit around the Common Room to gain Intel on Harry…I want you to know that you can always come to me.”

Pansy’s eyes widened in surprise as the words he had spoken were nothing close to what she thought he would say, and for a moment she felt utterly speechless.

“I-I…You mean it?”

“Well on two conditions. The first being that you have to put up with me and guy talk, which seeing as you have more guy friends than girls, that shouldn’t be a problem…”

“And what’s the second?” she questioned apprehensively.

“You don’t tell Harry that I talked to you…I want him to be able to come to me and tell me on his own terms. I don’t want him to think that he messed up by breaking your trust…because he didn’t betray you. He just acted like a guy and didn’t know how to properly express his feelings. I may have the emotional range of a teaspoon, but at least I have a range, and I know that he didn’t mean to hurt you. It was never his intention. So, can we keep this between us? At least until you give him permission to tell the world of your relationship…” Inhaling a deep breath as a small smile spread across her lips, Pansy nodded her head while wiping a fallen tear from her face.

“You have a deal, Weasley…”

“You can call me Ron, you know. We’re friends now, which also means that if anyone starts anything with you, you tell me right away and I’ll shut them up faster than you can say Quidditch.”

“Okay…Ron” she smiled warmly with a small chuckle. “And…thank you…for talking to me.”

“If we’re going to be honest with each other, I have to confess that I did it mainly for Harry.”

“I figured as much.”

“But you’re welcome, Pansy. I’m glad this worked out the way it did actually. If not, who knows if we would have ever come to an understanding” he stated as a small huff escaped through his nose. “I’ll see you later, yeah?”

Softly nodding her head, Ron smiled once more before turning back to the door, opening it, and walking out as Pansy couldn’t help but feel relief wash over her. She began to laugh at herself for being so stupid and getting mad at Harry before even trying to talk to him first, when a sudden realization dawned on her. Scrambling out of bed, she quickly charmed her face clean, fixed her make-up, and spelled the wrinkles from her clothing before rushing out of the room.

She had frantically pounded on the Gryffindor Prince’s door for what felt like forever before realizing he was no longer in his room. Luna stood up from the couch she was sitting on, and raised a brow at Pansy before finally telling her that Harry had gone to the Quidditch Pitch to try and clear his mind. The blonde didn’t even get a chance to say another word as Pansy swiftly ran down the stairs and out the portrait door just as Theo and Neville walked into the Common Room.

“Where the hell is she going?” Theo questioned as the portrait slowly closed behind him.

“To fix something she feels she broke” Luna vaguely claimed through her beaming smile before taking her seat once more and continued to read the magazine her father worked so hard to write.

Racing down the halls, that were thankfully empty, Pansy never once stopped running until she made it to the Quidditch Pitch and had to catch her breath. She called out for Harry in the Changing Room she knew she shouldn’t be in, before sulking her shoulders when he didn’t answer. Turning on her heel and rushing out to the field, she spotted the Gryffindor hitting Bludgers with a Beater’s bat in the center of the oval grounds and smiled while exhaling a deep alleviating breath.

“HARRY!” she called out while rushing over the turf that was charmed to stay flat and short. Harry immediately turned while ducking to avoid being hit by one of the Bludgers and gasped in shock to see Pansy jogging towards him. “HARRY, I’M SORRY!” she yelled.

“What?” he inquired in confusion, not able to fully hear what she had said, before flicking his wand to halt one of the iron balls he was hitting. Stopping just short of running directly into him, Pansy breathed heavily before repeating her words.

“I’m…sorry” she stated through rough panting. “I thought you were ignoring me all day and I let it get to me…then,” she swallowed while still trying to catch her breath, “then those daft dick shites had to go and say those horrible nasty things about me and-and you, making me even angrier, and then they tried to get to you at lunch, and then Theo almost got into a fight, and-”

“Pansy, stop…! What are-” he began but cut himself off as the second Bludger, flew through the air above and behind her.

“I’m trying to say I’m sorry for shutting you out a-and for being such a bitch, and…and I was wondering if you would…would still like to go on that date with me…tonight?”

“Uhh, Pansy this is not a good-”

“Are you saying ‘no’?” she asked regrettably through her slightly calmer labored breathing. “You…you don’t…you don’t want to?”

“No! I…” he paused again as he tried to keep his eye on the iron ball zooming through the air but still remain focused on the girl in front of him. “I most definitely want to still take you, I just…Pansy, this is-” He tried to explain again the danger she had just placed herself in, but was swiftly interrupted as he felt the Slytherins’ lips suddenly pressing up against his while her arms wrapped around his neck.

However, the sudden impact of her throwing herself on him, caused Harry to lose his balance when he stepped back in shock and fell to the ground with a hard thud. Instantly snaking his arms around the raven-haired witch, so she wouldn’t get hurt when they landed, Pansy briefly broke away from the kiss and smiled happily as a beautiful laugh escaped her throat. For a moment, Harry had lost himself in the sound of her voice, before quickly pulling his attention back to the Bludger hurtling down at them at an unimaginable speed. Gripping the Princess tightly in his grasp, Harry hastily pulled her off him, and in one quick motion, pointed his wand at the iron ball, and shouted ‘Bombarda’…shattering it to pieces.

“You could have told me there was a fucking Bludger coming at us!” she shrieked while raising her upper body to rest on her forearms as fragments of iron rained down onto the green field.

“I did try, actually…Twice” he grinned while turning his focus back to Pansy, who giggled sweetly and shook her head before laying back on the grass. “So…” he breathed out in relief. “About that date…I’ll pick you up at six then, yeah?”

“Don’t be late” she grinned from ear to ear as Harry got to his feet and helped her up.

“Wouldn’t dream of it.”

Joyfully beaming and refusing to upset his witch by asking her about everything that had happened in such a few short hours, Harry took Pansy’s hand in his and walked her back to the castle; all the while, feeling even more nervous about their date that night.


	26. Discoveries

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Thank you guys for your lovely reviews and patience. I'm sorry for not letting you know sooner that the chapter was going to be delayed. I didn't think it was going to be, but it ended up getting the better of me. Although, I feel it's good now and the next chapter will be posted next week, I promise. I'm sorry for all the set backs, however, I want to make sure each chapter is the best that I can do before posting. I can't wait to read your reactions for 26 and 27 when posted. I sure as hell know 27 is going to be excellent. Anyway, enjoy 26 and don't forget to leave those wonderful comments! As always, XOXO**

_“They say I'm crazy, But the whole world has gone mad, They think I'm dangerous, I might agree with that_

_When everything I touch will break, Loving you is my escape, So come on give me what I crave_

_I want it, I want it, Do you want it?”_

_I Scare Myself- Beth Crowley_

**Chapter 26- Discoveries**

Saturday, May 16th, 1999

Adjusting his collar as he studied the hunter green button-down shirt and dark blue jeans in the long mirror, Harry inhaled a deep breath to try and calm his nerves as he stood in his bedroom. As he exhaled quickly, he froze for a moment with widened eyes before cupping his mouth with his hand and puffed twice to smell his breath. Rushing over to the nightstand, he reached into the single drawer for his mint spray and examined it to make sure it wasn’t one from the Weasley’s joke shop that turned a person’s tongue blue. After spraying two pumps into his mouth and one extra, just in case, he was about to close the drawer before seeing the glass bottle of cologne Hermione had gotten him for Christmas, hidden under the handkerchief Molly had knitted him.

Sighing heavily, he picked the bottle up and frowned as he remembered back to when he had first opened the small neatly wrapped gift box. Hermione had been so excited when he lifted the dark liquid-filled bottle with a gold Stag head lid from the silk encasing, that he couldn’t help but to feel elated at her joy. However, looking at it now, made him miss her infectious smile more than anything. Turning the bottle in his hand, he felt ashamed that he had tossed the gift into the drawer and completely forgot about it. It wasn’t that he didn’t love the present, because he did, he just had nowhere to wear it or anyone to wear it for.

Removing the lid carefully, Harry sniffed the fragrance and smiled while he shook his head. He didn’t normally enjoy strong scents, however, it seemed Hermione knew not only exactly what he would like but had also made sure to not pick out an overpowering aroma. The cologne smelled of a woodsy amber with a hint of brandy and shaving soap mixed in, making him understand the reasoning behind the Stag cap. It wasn’t just to match his Patronus charm, although he was happy that it did. After spraying a few squirts across his body, he was about to place the bottle back into the drawer when he changed his mind, and instead walked over to his dresser, shifted back the tall colorful pillar candle Luna hand-made him for his birthday, and set in on top so he would never forget it again.

As Harry continued to get ready for his date, across the hall, Pansy was reading the borrowed history book as Luna gleefully styled her hair.

“What potions do you use on your hair?” Luna questioned while tilting her head back and forth, studying the long black locks in her hands. “It’s so soft and shiny! I could run my fingers through it all day and never get tired!”

“I don’t use potions in my hair anymore…” Pansy replied as she briefly glanced up from the tome on her lap and watched Luna in the long-standing mirror in front of her. “Just normal everyday muggle shampoo and conditioner. They’re still expensive products, but I feel the effects last longer, which means I don’t have to constantly keep reapplying elixirs when they wear off. I can show you later if you want, and you’re more than welcome to use anything of mine” she smiled warmly.

“That is exceedingly kind of you. I may take you up on that offer” Luna grinned before deciding on how she wanted to style the Slytherin’s hair. Choosing a simple yet flirty, half-up half-down do, she began to lightly curl and tease Pansy’s silky black hair with her wand. When she was about halfway done however, she noticed how quiet the Princess had gotten and tilted her head in confusion. “What’s wrong, Pansy?” Leaning over her shoulder, she spotted the book in Pansy’s hands, and relaxed her shoulders as she studied the pictures on the pages.

There on the parchment were four black and white pictures with a yellow hue, she had never expected to see. One was a photograph of a cheerful older man, holding a beer in the air, while another was the same man but with two beautiful women on either side of him. Luna assumed someone was celebrating a birthday, from all the balloons scattered across the floor, but what had immediately caught her eye, was the last two images.

“Holy mother of Merlin...I…I-I found them…” Pansy gasped when she studied the picture of Blaise, Ginny, Hermione, and Draco all posing with the same middle-aged man and two women, before looking to the photograph of Hermione and Ginny kissing the elders’ cheeks as Blaise and Draco appeared to be upset in the background. “They…they’re right there! We have proof that they’re okay…! Wow…” she expressed in shock. “They look so…different and…happy…”

Luna had to agree that the four seemed to have aged, but she knew it was because the group had been through hell and no one, except Harry, had seen them in what felt like forever. Although, the more she studied the pictures the more her mind began to churn.

“Pansy…how-how many years was it from Gettysburg to 1888?” she questioned with a slight tilt of her head.

“Ummm, I don’t know. Gettysburg was, what, 1863? So…twenty-five years. Why?”

“And what does that caption say?” she asked while pointing under the group photo.

“Uh…” Pansy began with a raised brow before looking at the inscription below the picture of the happy seven. “The celebration of pub owner, Caleb Wolf’s, forty-eighth birthday in Whitechapel, London, England, September 27th, 1888. Dark Wolf’s Tavern. Pictured above from left to right, Mary-Ann Wolf, Caleb Wolf, Hermione Granger, Draco Malfoy, Lucy Jean Wolf, Blaise Zabini, and Ginny Weasley…Oh, my Gods! Their last ancestor was named Caleb, wasn’t it? Is this him?”

“He’s handsome…for an older man that is…” the Ravenclaw claimed with an awkward smirk. “But why is he in 1888 when he was their ancestor in 1863?”

“I don’t think he’s their ancestor in this era…” Pansy proclaimed while concentrating hard on the picture before her. “Merlin’s beard…! That’s his daughter, Lu…she’s their ancestor!”

“Does it say anything else?”

“Uh…no…” she answered before flipping the page, only to find herself trying to catch her breath as tears began to well in her eyes. Covering over half the page was an image she never thought she would see and an image that for some reason…broke her heart. Pansy was speechless as she stared at Draco dipping Hermione Granger in his arms and passionately kissing her as if…as if he loved her. All she could feel was a mixture of shock, confusion, betrayal, and sadness wash over her and she had no idea how to handle all the feelings at once. However, the sound of Luna’s calming voice pulled her from her stupor and she quickly wiped away the tear that had unconsciously fallen down her cheek.

“He’s still your friend, you know…?” she spoke somberly but sweetly at the same time. “It doesn’t matter who he fancies, Pans…Draco will always be your friend.”

“I…I-I don’t know why I’m so upset right now” Pansy half-heartedly chuckled, “he never really wanted me anyway and besides…I-I have Harry, right? So, I shouldn’t be bothered by this…Why am I so bothered by this?”

“Because he was your first love, regardless of if the feelings were returned or not” the blonde shrugged while closing the book in the Slytherins hands. “But he likes Hermione…He always has.”

“What? You’re lying! He’s never liked her! He used to go out of his way to torment her!” Pansy declared with narrowed brows as she turned in her seat and glanced at the Ravenclaw curiously.

“People seem to think that a lot actually,” Luna smiled warmly as she went back to styling Pansy’s hair, “but it’s been obvious since the beginning. He has always watched her, he warned Harry and Ronald to get her out of the chaos during the Quidditch World Cup, and I even saw him once aid Hermione during class, by putting in an extra drop of the ingredient she had miscalculated into her potion, so that all her hard work wouldn’t be ruined. It may appear to his friends that he hated her, and for a while he may have tried to, but Draco has always cared for her.”

“I’m one of his closest friends! He would have said something to me! I would have seen it!” she claimed as she quickly stood and turned to fully face the blonde seventh year as the book on her lap fell to the ground with a hard thud. Although, after studying her face for a brief moment, the Slytherin suddenly realized that Luna herself, had never said anything either. “Why didn’t you tell me? Why? You knew I had strong feelings for Draco. You knew he would never want me and instead of just saying something during the beginning of all this, you wait until now, until after I saw that photo!”

“If I would have said something, then you never would have wanted the man who seems to actually be falling in love with you” she admitted in a serious tone, her words crisp and clear as her shoulders relaxed. “You never would have agreed to be with Harry if you didn’t figure out on your own that Draco wasn’t the right one for you. Everything that happens in our lives has a lesson, and people telling you that someone is not right for you repeatedly, is just going to push you closer to them. You had to come to terms with it on your own…Draco belongs with Hermione, Pans; we’ve all known that since they first met, even if they didn’t. And you just said it yourself…you had strong feelings for him. Which means your love for him shifted on to someone else.”

“I am not falling in love with Harry! It’s…it’s too soon for that! I-I hardly know him!”

“I never said it was Harry” she grinned proudly. “But are you certain you don’t…? Because I saw you earlier today when that girl was flirting with him; I saw how hurt you were, and I saw how much you cared that he was kind of acting like Draco in a way. There’s no time limit on when you can love someone, Pansy. Some fall in love the moment they see their soulmate and for others, it may take a little longer to develop or to even say the words. And you know him, silly” she giggled slightly. “You may not know certain things about him, but you know him. You’re simply scared to open yourself up to someone new.”

“I don’t love him…” the dark-haired witch stated in a softer tone. “A-and I’m not scared…”

“Listen, Pansy,” Luna sighed while picking the book up from off the ground and set it on the end of her bed. “Everything is changing around us at such a fantastic speed and it’s hard to keep up, I know that, but you’re asking all the wrong questions here. Seeing that picture of Draco and Hermione…what you’re feeling isn’t jealously; it’s your emotions telling you that you need to finally move on and let the man who actually wants you, in. This isn’t about what I did or didn’t tell you or what’s happening between our friends in the past. This is about you being too terrified to love someone for real. You have a complex mind, Pansy, full of all these different emotions that make it hard for any man to keep up with…But Harry can, and he has. The question now isn’t why is it bothering you so much to see your past love moving on…It’s why can’t you too?

“Why can’t you be happy for once? Why do you constantly have to hide behind the steel walls you’ve built when we all know you are desperate to be free of the barriers surrounding you? You have that chance with Harry, Pans. He can show you the way out if you just let him. Don’t worry about what Draco is doing with his love life, stop caring if another girl flirts with your man because we both know he would never purposely hurt you, and for the love of Rowena, Pansy, stop thinking Harry is going to change his mind about you. You’ve shown him the darkest part of your soul today and he never once questioned you about it or tried to make you feel bad for freaking out on Houston and Dan. He even still wants to take you to dinner tonight. If that doesn’t show how much he cares about you then I honestly don’t know what will, but you have to allow him to be your escape, Pansy, because we both know you need him…just as much as he needs you…Now…” Luna huffed while placing her hands on the back of the chair, “can you please sit back down so that we can finish your hair and makeup before Harry shows up and you’re not ready yet?”

Completely taken aback and with tears brewing in her dark eyes, Pansy speechlessly glanced to the chair before returning her focus back to the blonde in front of her. She knew Luna was right, but how could she admit to herself that she was falling hard for Harry when they hadn’t even gone on their first date yet? It scared her more than anything to realize how much she thought about him every day and just wanted him to like her for her…It scared her to know that he was beginning to mean everything to her.

Without uttering a word, the Slytherin Princess inhaled a sharp breath as Luna tilted her head and gave her a knowing smile, before walking back to the chair and sitting down. Entwining her fingers together in front of her, she gulped slightly as nerves started to race through her body and her mind began to run wild with the crazy notion…that she may love Harry Potter.

XX

After an hour of constantly pacing the length of his room, sitting on the edge of his bed, and contemplating changing his outfit about four different times, Harry exhaled a quick puff of air through his lips before he grabbed his overcoat from off the chair by the door, and exited his chambers. Neville, Ron, and Theo had already left for Hogsmeade, about fifteen minutes before Harry was expected to pick up the girls. He was thankful it didn’t take much to convince his friends early in the day, that he wanted to walk Pansy and Luna into the Village before heading to Dervish and Banges for a few necessities. It surprised him actually, at how quickly they all agreed, and he was even more shocked when they told him to meet them at The Three Broomsticks whenever he was ready and to not rush. Although he wasn’t worried about them knowing his secret, he was still terrified that someone would catch on sooner or later.

Walking across the balcony hall and stopping just outside of the girls’ bedroom, Harry anxiously raised his right hand and gently knocked before stepping back as butterflies began to fill his abdomen. It was only a few long agonizing seconds before the door began to crack open, and when he saw the beautiful woman standing in the doorway, his breath caught, and he found himself without words.

“Hi, Harry” Pansy spoke sweetly with a warm smile as her cheeks began to redden under the natural-looking makeup Luna had put on her to bring out her eyes.

“Uh…hi, Harry” he repeated before shaking his head in embarrassment. “I-I mean, hi…Pansy…” he weakly smirked as the Slytherin giggled lightly. “You uh, look you amazing-Shite-I meant you amazing look-Fuck! Sorry…” he gulped, although never once removed his enthralled stare from off her. Her dark skinny jeans fit perfectly against every curve of her body as the white silk camisole stood out under the black leather jacket. She had completed the flawless outfit with a pair of black strappy stilettos and Harry had to do his best to contain the want, the need, to snog the crap out of her right then and there. “Ehem…You. Look. Amazing” he claimed, sounding out each word to make sure they were in the correct order.

“Thank you” she smiled while gently biting her lower lip. “You look amazing as well and you smell fantastic.”

“Me? No…” he chuckled slightly. “I could never compare…” he declared, his smile fading as he took her in while his heart began to race at an incredible speed. “Uh, anyway…” he began while shaking away the daze.

“Hello, Harry!” Luna chirped while peeking her head over Pansy’s shoulder. “Are you ready?”

“Hi, Luna…Um, yeah. Ready when you two are” he smiled nervously as Luna cheerfully stepped out from behind the Slytherin, handed Pansy her small black purse, and walked out into the hall. “Then let’s go before you’re late. Alright so, your reservation is at seven sharp, under my last name so the media doesn’t catch wind, all the staff is aware to not say anything to anyone about you being present in the establishment, aaaaand…” she grinned blissfully while rotating her body back and forth, “I got you guys the best table in the house! It’s secluded but oh, my goodness is it beautiful! I can’t wait to hear all about this date” she swooned as both Pansy and Harry strangely eyed her. “Oh, you’ll see! Anyway,” she began to walk towards the stairs as the couple behind her followed, “I am meeting Neville and the guys at the pub so if you’re up for it later, you can join us. If you’re not there by ten, I’ll create an excuse for each of you, but I want details when this is all over, deal?”

“Deal, Lu” Pansy awkwardly smiled as Harry licked his lips and curiously gazed at the blonde Ravenclaw.

“Yay! Okay, let’s go!”

As the trio strolled through the corridors of the castle, with Harry walking between the girls, they came upon the Entrance Hall and noticed many of the students, lingering against the walls, were staring and whispering while pointing at the group. Pansy’s bright smile suddenly turned somber as she glanced at all the eyes watching her and lowered her head in shame. It wasn’t the first time that people were talking about her behind her back and she knew it wouldn’t be the last time either.

Harry had also seemed to notice the gawking and looked at the Slytherin walking on his right, in concern. Leaning over slightly, he whispered in her ear for her to ignore them, but Pansy just sulked her shoulders and continued to gaze at the ground sullenly. However, her heart began to race when they were close to the outside courtyard, and she heard the complete opposite of what she thought everyone was saying. Her lips were slightly parted as she raised her eyes forward and intently listened to the two females murmuring in the corner.

“Holy shite! That’s Pansy Parkinson!” the fourth year Hufflepuff spoke in a loud whisper to the third-year Ravenclaw. “She’s the one who made Houston Night piss his pants and Daniel Hawks cry as if he was a baby in a pram! She’s a fucking badarse, she is!”

“Wait, wait, wait,” the Ravenclaw expressed with a hint of excitement in her voice and a raised hand. “That’s her…? Wow…I mean, leave it to a Slytherin to show a Gryffindor up, but Gods damn I wish I could have seen that. Those boys have been nothing but a pain in the arse since they became Quidditch players and even more infuriating when they began to grow into their looks. I’m glad she shut them up. They deserved everything she handed to them and more.”

“Do you think she knows I’m alive?” the Hufflepuff inquired with relaxed shoulders. “She’s so pretty and brave; powerful…I doubt she even knows who we are” she frowned as she played with the tips of her fingers.

“Why don’t you just go say ‘hi’ then?” her Ravenclaw friend challenged while crossing her arms. “What’s the worse she cou-never mind, I think we already know…”

“I can’t just say ‘hi’! What if she hates me? What if she makes me out to be an insufferable underclassman like she most likely has with other students who want to worship the ground she walks on?” But as soon as the words left the Hufflepuffs’ lips, Pansy halted her stride as an idea formed in her head. “Oh, my Gods! Is she coming over here? Oh shite, she is! Okay, okay, okay, okay, don’t panic; breathe!”

“Hello?” Pansy spoke as sweet as she possibly could while Harry and Luna watched with smiles plastered on their faces. However, it seemed the girl was at a loss for words as her friend’s eyes widened in admiration, and her slack jaw opened further in a mixture of bewilderment and awe.

“Hooooooly fuck…” the Ravenclaw slowly blinked while the rest of the students in the hall whispered even more to one another. “Say something, Mags” she stated while nudging the Hufflepuff in the arm with her elbow repeatedly. “Fucking say something!” she affirmed through gritted teeth as if Pansy couldn’t hear her.

“Uuuuhhh…Hello…” the girl finally spoke as Pansy chuckled.

“May I ask what your names are?” the Slytherin questioned with a warm smile. “It seems only fair since you know who I am.”

“Ummm,” the Hufflepuff began with a large gulp. “Mags-well Maggie-short for Margarete. But I always hated my full name, so I just go by Mags…or Maggie-or you can call me Margarete if you prefer” she stuttered out as Pansy raised a questioning brow. “A-a-and this is Penelope. I call her Pea sometimes though-oh, but you can call her Pen too if you want-or Penny!”

“Okay” the raven-haired witch breathed out with a soft grin. “Well, Mags, Pen…I overheard you talking and I…well I was wondering…well…”

“Why we aren’t scared of you?” Maggie finished for her.

“Yeah…You have every reason to be. I-I don’t understand…”

“Do you know how long it’s been since a female, in any house, has taken a stand against one of those ‘wannabe macho’ Gryffs?” Penny replied, her stunned gaze finally returning to normal. “Hermione Granger is the only one brave enough to stop the bullying of those two, and since…well since she hasn’t been around lately…most of us underclassmen have to take the brunt of their harassment” she frowned while rubbing the back of her neck with her hand. “It’s been happening all year; however, Hermione has never shown force like that to really stop them.”

“Yeah,” Maggie continued while rubbing her arm, “you may have terrified those goons, and possibly a few other students as well…but almost everyone is ecstatic at what you did. You may not realize it, but you saved a lot of us years’ worth of torment by those two and their younger friends.”

“Oh…” Pansy gasped in utter shock, although a large smile grew upon her lips as both Harry and Luna proudly continued to watch. “Really?” she asked in disbelief.

“You’re like a Goddess to half the school now!” Maggie expressed joyfully. “Houston and Dan cower at the sound of your name. I believe they finally learned what it feels like to be us…Thank you…for sticking up for us…”

“Hey, Pans…” Harry gently called out, pulling the Slytherin from her stunned expression and causing her to briefly glance back at him. “We’re gonna be late…”

“Um, just a second!” she replied before looking back to the girls, whose eyes widened again at the sight of Harry Potter.

“Are you dating Harry Potter?” Penny whispered in shock. “Ohhhh, you’re so lucky” she pouted.

“No, we’re just friends!” Pansy quickly answered before realizing that the girls seemed to be genuinely saddened at her answer and didn’t appear to care in the slightest that two former enemies fancied each other. “I mean…maybe…C-can you keep a secret?” she inquired, causing the girls to perk up and quickly nod their heads. “I-I don’t want this getting out until I’m ready, but…I do like him…a lot actually” she admitted while nervously tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

“You should tell him” Maggie beamed while lightly biting her bottom lip. “I think you guys would make a really cute couple” she giggled.

“Really?” she responded, her cheeks growing flush at the idea that others not only accepted her but approved of her relationship as well.

“Most definitely! And I think he may fancy you too. He hasn’t been able to keep his eyes off you the entire time you’ve been over here. I honestly feel you should tell him. If not, then you’ll never know how he feels about you.”

“Well…Thank you, ladies. I’ll keep that in mind” she smirked. “I-I shouldn’t keep my friends waiting, but uh…If Houston or Dan, or anyone, gives you a hard time again, you tell me, alright? And when I leave this school, you mention to any bully who messes with you, that you’re friends with me, and that I am just and Owl away. Promise?”

“We promise!” the girls spoke in unison, making Pansy smile proudly. 

“I’ll see you ladies around, alright?” she waved before stepping away from the thrilled underclassmen and happily walked back to her waiting friends.

September of 1888

“Please say something…” Draco muttered as he stared at Hermione in desperation. “Please…” However, she still didn’t say a word and remained trapped in her stunned daze. “Princess, please…” he pleaded with a trembling lip before inhaling sharply as his shoulders dropped in dismay, realizing she was never going to say anything.

“Mione…?” Ginny gently urged, but still…nothing.

“No…” the blonde claimed with a shattered heart. “It’s fine, Red…I get it…”

“Draco…” Blaise sighed with a tilt of his head. “Come on, mate.” Biting his lower lip while slightly nodding his head, Draco lowered his sight to the floor before turning on his heel and storming out of the pub. “Draco!”

“Wait…” Hermione finally breathed out before understanding that she was caught in a trance and couldn’t answer the Slytherin Prince even though she desperately wanted to. “Draco, wait!’ she yelled while trying to remove herself from off the stool, but the alcohol in her system began to hit her hard, causing her to stumble, but luckily Blaise caught her before she hit the ground. Smacking the Italians’ hands off her, Hermione scrambled to right herself, and quickly rushed out the door while the Wolf’s and her friends hastily followed after. “Draco, wait! Stop!” she called out, but the blonde refused to turn around and continued to hurry down the dark alleyway. Halting her light jog on the front porch of the tavern, the Gryffindor bookworm stomped her foot and as a last-ditch effort, screamed at Draco to stop. “DRACO MALFOY! Would you stop acting like such a bloody coward and running away from me every time you don’t get the answer you want right away!”

“Oh, shite…” Lucy exclaimed with widened eyes as she stood between her mother and father.

“Mione, stop” Ginny beseeched while slowly walking up to the wavy-haired witch, seething in anger, and Draco instantly stopped in the middle of the alley. His fists clenched tightly as the redhead delicately took Hermione’s arm in an effort to guide her back into the pub, but the Golden Girl simply shrugged her off and took a step forward as Draco rapidly rotated around.

“What…the fuck…did you just call me?” he growled, his breathing growing heavy as his hair began to spark. “What the fuck did you just call me?” he repeated while storming back to the witch, his finger raised as anger took over. “Don’t you EVER fucking call me a coward again, you hear me? Or so fucking help me, Hermione, I’ll-”

“You’ll what!’ she snapped while stepping down the first level on the porch’s stairs. “Run again? Duel me? Leave me? You’ll what, Draco? What?”

“Are you bloody kidding me, right now? I just poured my fucking heart out to you in front of a room full of strangers, completely embarrassing myself! I finally lowered my walls and put everything on the line for you to just…to just not say anything. You just stared at me as if I was the Dark Lord…like I was a Death Eater again…”

“What’s a Death Eater?” Lucy whispered, but was quickly caught off by Ginny holding up a finger, shushing her.

“Why?” Hermione began a bit calmer. “Why didn’t you-”

“Say something?” Draco interrupted as his temper rose. “Say something sooner? I just fucking said something! What, you wanted me to tell you that I loved you in Salem, where you were in complete denial about being attracted to me? Or wait, you wanted me to say I loved you in Gettysburg, right? Where you hardly spoke more than three words, and when you finally did speak, we had to deal with the entire camp getting attacked and we got separated!”

“What is he talking about?” Mary-Ann questioned aloud, but Caleb simply pretended he didn’t hear her and maintained his gaze upon the couple fighting in front of his tavern.

“The only chance I had,” the blonde continued, “to say that I love you is in this revolting era, where we finally had a chance to catch our bloody breaths! I mean, come on! When exactly were you expecting me to say it, Hermione? Huh? Would you have rather I waited until the next Gods forsaken era or would you rather me not have said it at all so that you didn’t have to, once again, choose whether or not you had feelings for me? But by all means, love, call me a coward for walking away to try and get some air after being mortified like I just was. Like you wouldn’t have done the same damn thing if the person you were devoted to stared at you like you were a monster!”

“Are you finished?” Hermione stated firmly as she took a second step down. “Because I didn’t ask about when you decided to say you love me. I asked you why you didn’t-

“Merlin’s beard, Hermione, what do you want from me? Why does it matter when o-or why I said something? The point is, is that I did! I told you I bloody love you and all you seem to care about is fighting with me. You just want to pick everything apart to fit your damn logic! Do you need me to shout it from the rooftops? Write your name in the bleeding sky? Tell the whole world? Just tell me what you want, and I’ll do it for you!”

“You had months!” the witch declared adamantly as she struggled to keep her balance and hold back the nausea she was feeling.

“What? Salazar, Hermione, I’m not doing this right now. You’re clearly sloshed and I’m not about to stand here and listen to you call me a coward while arguing with me about why I’ve fallen in love with you.”

“You…wasted…soooo much time! You wasted an entire summer teaching yourself how to play the piano, to cook; you watched movies-”

“What’s a movie?” Lucy once again spoke before being shushed again, except this time by Blaise as Hermione took one last step down the stairs, finally level with the Slytherin Prince, who was standing only a few feet away.

“Stop…” he interrupted with relaxed shoulders.

“-learned muggle shite just to talk to me and…and you didn’t say anything…” she claimed with tears brewing in her eyes.

“Hermione, please stop” he gently cut in again while looking around at all the faces watching them.

“NO…!” she yelled while her breathing was labored, and her bottom lip quivered violently. “You wasted months, and instead sent secret Valentines, gave half-smiles in class, secretly helped me in Potions, passed me in the halls on numerous occasions, and nothing…You had a chance before Christmas after I bought you that Butterbeer, to talk to me, to earn my trust, my affection, and you remained quiet-”

“I didn’t have a choice!”

“Bullshite! Bull fucking shite, Draco! You always have a choice and once again, you chose to play the victim! You have no idea what we could have been! I didn’t trust you, yeah-”

“Exactly, Hermione! You didn’t trust me! You’ve been fighting with me since the beginning of the damn year! Why would I try and talk to you, when you and your fucking friends would always snub me? Why would I approach you o-or tell you that I fancied you since first fucking year, when all you wanted to do was argue with me just like you did in the museum when I picked the stupid amulet up! Just like sixty-five million years ago when I tried to get you to shut-up so that T-Rex didn’t spot us!”

“That is-”

“Or what about in China, when I was nothing but nice to you and you snapped on me? What about in Rome, Pompeii, Knockturn Alley? Salazar, I think the only time you didn’t pick a fight with me was on that bloody pirate ship! And now look; you are fighting with me again! It seems I can never do anything right for you! I tell you that I’m in love with you and honestly…now I’m starting to question why because you still don’t seem to get it or how hard that was for me. I would do anything for you!”

“Why…didn’t you say…something? Why didn’t you just tell me, Draco…?”

“I tried!” he yelled as he painfully poked his own chest with his finger before softening his features and slumping his shoulders. “I tried to tell you since this whole thing began and you…you didn’t want to listen…”

“You never gave me a reason to” she replied, causing Draco to go silent as his heart sunk into his abdomen. “You waited until our last year of school was almost over, and the only reason you approached me was because Nott dared you to. If it were up to you and we weren’t caught in this mess, you would have left Hogwarts and never looked back. Which means, you would still be in love with me and I would never know. I do understand that you admitting your feelings is hard, Draco, I get that. But it’s not easy for me to say how I feel to your face because I am terrified of you suddenly changing your mind. What you said back in China, you could have said anytime to me throughout the year. You could have sent me an Owl over the summer o-or I don’t know, signed your damn name on that Valentine. Or maybe, you could have said something after Harry and I defended you and your mother, when no one else fought for you, in an effort keep you both out of Azkaban. You say you did all those things for me during your house arrest, but then you never bothered to speak up…”

“I-I-I…” he stuttered, unknowing of what to say; because when he really thought about it, he had no idea why he never spoke up until the museum. He had plenty of chances to initiate a conversation with her, but it seemed he never had enough courage to do so until Theo made that bet, which in turn, caused them all to be trapped in time. But the longer his mind attempted to come up with a good enough reason, other than being a coward, a tear fell from Hermione’s’ lashes, forcing Draco to finally understand that she wasn’t angry at him for waiting so long to admit his feelings. She was upset because if he had tried to talk to her in school, they could have already been friends by the time the field trip had occurred. Being afraid…had cost them both almost a years’ time of being together. “Hermione…” he sighed while taking a few steps closer so that he was now only about a foot away. “Hermione, I-I’m sorry. I am so sorry…”

However, the brunette Gryffindor just looked at him as if he had three heads and didn’t say a word. Albeit, it took a few seconds before Draco realized that she was actually seeing multiples of him, but unfortunately, he couldn’t react in time. Hermione suddenly began to sway back and forth before doubling over and puking all over his trousers and shoes, causing the Slytherin to instantly throw his arms up and close his eyes in frustration.

“Oh, Merlin…” Ginny groaned while Draco did his best to contain the disgust in his throat. Although he was able to suppress his disdain for the action and reached out, gathered Hermione’s hair in his hands, and held her brown locks away from the vomit she was producing on his shoes and ground.

“Some…one…take her…” the blonde requested with a heavy sigh as Hermione wiped her mouth on the back of her sleeve and Ginny raced down the stairs to help her. “And get me a towel…please…”

“This…is definitely not how I thought this would go…” Caleb claimed before turning on his heel in order to grab the Gryffindor a glass of water.

After everyone had gone back inside to continue partying and Blaise vanished the sickness from off of Draco, Ginny escorted Hermione up to their room as the boys waited outside the door in the narrow hallway.

“Would you stop pacing, mate, she’ll be fine” Blaise stated as he sat on the floor and leaned against the wall while Draco anxiously walked back and forth the length of the hall. “If anything, Hermione won’t even remember a thing after we started that lying game, which means you can always tell her you love her again and have a better reaction” he shrugged nonchalantly while bringing both legs up to rest his arms on his knees. “Although, I could be wrong because the entire time you two fought, she didn’t stutter once…which means the alcohol only really affected her body…not her smart freaking brain.”

“This is all my fault” the blonde asserted as he ran his fingers through his hair and continued his pacing. “I shouldn’t have said it while she was inebriated. I should have just waited. And Gods, I just had to fucking admit that I spent my entire summer learning shite for her! What is wrong with me? Now she’ll just think I’m an arse on top of being a coward! I should have just left that part out. If I did then she wouldn’t have overthought my confession and I would be in there right now taking care of her instead of Red.”

“She doesn’t think any less of you or believes you’re a coward, and you know it. She only said that because she needed you to stop walking away. And technically she didn’t call you a coward; she said you were acting like one. Big difference there, mate.”

“I’m so screwed…I messed everything up…again” he claimed while halting his stride, leaned back, and slid down the wall. “What am I going to do, Blaise? I can’t lose her…”

“Draco,” the Italian began as he raised his eyes and gazed at his best friend, “you’re not going to lose her. She would crawl through hell if it meant she could keep you. I know, because she told me when she came to talk to me last night. She might not have had the chance to say it back yet, but she loves you too. I can see it in her eyes whenever she looks at you or when her voice does that…thing…when she talks about you.”

“Thing? What thing?” Draco questioned with a perplexed brow.

“You know…that thing. Where her voice gets sort of pitchy and you can hear the excitement radiating from her vocal cords. You never heard that?”

“No…I’m not usually around when she talks about me…”

“True…” he ticked, but quickly lowered his head and sighed. “Do you regret it?” he inquired before raising his gaze back up to the blonde. “Do you regret saying you love her?” Draco slowly lowered his head as he thought about what was being asked and stared at his hands before throwing his head back gently against the wall.

“No…I don’t regret it…I just regret arguing with her. Why do we always argue over stupid shite?”

“Because you’re like an old married couple” Blaise chuckled. “And fighting is in both of your DNA’s. But why the hell did you have to say it in front of everyone? Now, Red is going to expect me to say it to her too, you moron!”

“I didn’t think I was going to say it!”

“I’m joking, you idiot” he laughed while shaking his head. “I already told Red back in Gettysburg. Told her a lot of things in that tent, actually” he winked, causing Draco to tilt his head in confusion before realizing what Blaise was referring to.

“Wait…you a-and Red…did…I thought you saying you would get a room later was just a joke” he claimed in disbelief before smirking while lifting his leg and resting his left arm on his knee. “Wow…Good for you, mate.”

“Thanks…I guess” he chuckled again just as Lucy walked up the stairs with a drowsy Adeline in her arms.

“Hey boys…” the brunette muggle expressed with a warm smile while Adeline adorably waved as her head rested on Lucy’s shoulder. Both Draco and Blaise waved back at the little girl before removing themselves from the floor and placed their hands in their pockets. “I do not mean to bother you, but Addie here is really tired, and her mum sent a runner to let us know that she is working late and cannot pick her up until the morn’. Is it alright if she stays in one of your rooms for the night with me? Walter is taken his usual room, and Dr. Hammond is occupying my chambers for the night, so Mama can keep an eye on him. Both are extremely legless and can barely walk straight. Their singin’ old folk songs downstairs, burnin’ our ears off; though I know Papa will eventually tell them to head to bed.”

“Well…” Blaise winced in a high pitch voice. “I was sort of going to have some…alone…time with Red tonight…In my room…With no one else…Did I mention alone…?”

“Um…I suppose you two can have my room…” Draco replied before realizing that the only available space left for him to sleep at, was in Hermione’s chambers.

“That’s very nice of you…Thank you, Draco...” she grinned happily before frowning slightly as Adeline fell asleep snuggled in the ancestors’ neck. “Are you going to be alright? I know that what happened earlier did not go as expected. Papa was only trying to help. He did not know it would escalate the way it had.”

“I’ll be okay, Lucy…I don’t blame anyone but myself for what happened” he sighed before removing his hands from his pockets and crossing his arms. “I just hope I didn’t ruin my relationship.”

“I don’t feel you did. She was upset, yes, but as soon as you ran away, she went right after you. You also kind of surprised her with your confession; you surprised us all, honestly. And she was sloshed…Give her some time to wrap her head around everything. I am sure she will return the sentiment sooner than you feel. Don’t think you have lost just yet.”

Nodding once after doing what she could to comfort the Slytherin Prince, Lucy turned around and began to walk towards the room Draco was staying in with the sleeping child nestled safely in her arms.

“She’s right you know…” Ginny claimed, shocking the boys for a moment as they didn’t hear the door to the girls’ room open behind them. “Hermione feels horrible for not only the way things happened after your declaration, but also for getting sick all over you. Which was really revolting by the way.”

“Thanks for the reminder, Red…” Draco stated with a roll of his eyes.

“You’re welcome!” she smiled cheerfully. “Anyway…I transfigured one of the end tables into a cot for you. I sort of overheard Lucy ask to take your room for the night and figured, after everything, you would want your own space. Well, what space you can get. But I do think you should go in there and try to talk to her. She wouldn’t stop asking for you and wanted to make sure you were alright. Although she was half asleep when I walked away, so I don’t know how much talking you’ll actually get out of her. My point is, at least you’ll be in the room if she wakes up and wants to talk…or something. Please give her another chance. She was wasted and not herself or fully thinking straight.”

“No, Red…” he sighed heavily, “she wasn’t herself…but she was definitely thinking straight…And she was right; I did wait. I wasted countless hours and I didn’t say anything when I had hundreds of chances to. I was scared. I was scared she would turn me away like every other girl in our school. I was terrified she-she would look at me like she had so many times before…Like a Death Eater…Like the monster I know I am.”

“You are a monster, Draco…” the redhead admitted softly as both Blaise and Draco narrowed their brows at her. “But aren’t we all? It doesn’t matter anymore what you were, who you used to be, or what you once did, we’ve all made mistakes we aren’t proud of. Just because you were once told to act and think a certain way doesn’t mean that’s who you are. Hermione knows that. It just took her some time to adjust and learn to trust you. Yes, you waited, and you had every right to be scared, but she’s not mad at you; not really. She’s upset because now that she has grown extremely close to you, she’s realized how much time you both missed being able to get to know one another. I suppose you feel the same, which is why you apologized so quickly. Nevertheless, you’ll both be fine in the morning and once you are, we can all work on a way to get out of this era. Maybe search ‘Mione’s book for more information about Jack the Ripper and then head down to Diagon Alley for some potions since we’ve been out since Salem.”

“Yeah…” he uttered dispiritedly. “I-I think I’m gonna head to bed now…It’s been a long night.”

“Alright, mate” Blaise weakly smiled. “Get some rest. We’ll reconvene in the morning.”

“Yeah…Night guys.”

Stepping into the bedroom, Draco sighed softly while gently closing the door behind him as Hermione laid on the full-size mattress, fast asleep. He glanced around and took note that the room looked exactly like his, except for the transfigured cot Ginny had created for him, resting at the foot of the bed. Sighing in frustration over their argument, he sat tentatively on the edge of the cot as he debated on staying the night and ran his hands down his face. Inhaling a deep breath, he turned back and gazed at his witch tenderly before standing up, choosing to not be a coward, and walked over to the left side of the bed.

Hermione stirred for a brief moment, almost making him change his mind as he didn’t want to wake her and have to talk about their fight while she was still intoxicated, but she remained asleep after rolling onto her back. She looked beautiful even while asleep and Draco couldn’t help but smile at her before climbing into the bed. Positioning himself so he was laying on his side facing the Gryffindor, he watched her chest steadily rise and fall in a peaceful calm, until his eyes grew heavy and he fell into a deep sleep.

A few hours had come and gone before Hermione found herself groggily awake in the middle of the night, with absolutely no memory of when she had fallen asleep. She remembered the game, the regrettable fight with the blonde Prince, and she could only recall a few things after she had accidentally thrown up on Draco; Ginny, for example, changing her clothes and trying to put a charm on her as she did her best to fight against her in order to get back to her Slytherin, and failing.

Sitting up as she heard the soft breathing of the person behind her, assuming Ginny had finally learned the spell to silence her snoring, which she had tried to teach her countless times, so she wouldn’t have to constantly use the silencing charm every night, Hermione stood, and somehow managed to find the door through the darkness surrounding her.

Slowly opening the entryway as quietly as she could so she wouldn’t wake her friend, she slipped out into the dimly lit hall and made her way towards the bathroom. Whatever spell the redhead had used on her, fortunately had helped ease her drunken state and all she felt now was a small headache that seemed to be getting worse the more she moved.

Closing the washroom door behind her, the Gryffindor Princess headed to the sink and turned on the tap, allowing the cold water to run before splashing the liquid onto her face. Hovering over the basin while both hands rested on the edges of the porcelain bowl, heartache and sorrow began to wash over her as she thought back to Draco’s confession and her daft decision to react the way she had. Doleful tears seemed to rain down her cheeks as a tight knot formed in her abdomen and she felt herself being unable to stop the small sob that wished to escape her throat. Falling to the floor and cradling her knees in her chest, Hermione began to weep as she thought about how she had ruined everything by acting like the know-it-all brat most people hated.

She couldn’t understand why she reacted the way she did, but what pained her the most, was that she had made things even worse by getting sick right at the moment she was about to say those three perfect words in return. The three words she knew in her heart she felt but spoiled by embarrassing not only herself but Draco as well. There was absolutely no way he would want her anymore, not after everything, and she now felt that she had lost any chance for him to forgive her for her drunken mistake.

Crying harder, the brunette witch stayed hidden in the bathroom until she felt she had no more tears left to shed before she decided to stand up, wash her face, and reluctantly head back to her room, where she planned to hide out until the feeling of shame went away and she could face everyone again. However, as she opened the door and the soft light from the moon shown through the window, illuminating the sleeping figure on her bed, her breath caught as the silhouette came into focus and Draco rolled onto his back.

An instant rush of relief began to flood through her as she shockingly gazed at him, and suddenly realized that he was the one who had been asleep next to her when she had woken up. Fresh tears, she didn’t even know she had left, began to swell in her eyes as she licked her lips and inhaled a sharp breath. Tiptoeing back to the bed, she quietly climbed under the covers, and slowly shifted as close to him as she could get without touching him, hoping he wouldn’t wake up and change his mind about sharing her bed. It didn’t matter to her if he was only there because he had felt bad or if it was due to some other reason; she was just grateful he didn’t hate her enough to keep his distance. She only feared what he would say and do, come morning light.

Saturday, May 16th, 1999

“So, what’s our plan again?” Harry queried as he and the girls made their way down the large hill towards the front gates of Hogwarts. “I was only told to pick you both up.”

“Well,” Luna chirped as she stared up at the darkening sky, “I figured you two could have some privacy and I could apparate to Hogsmeade once outside the barrier. You should be alone until you get into the village. It’s about a twenty-minute walk if you’re up for it. Then you can head to the restaurant where Nolan, the host, will take care of you.”

“And no one’s going to know I’m there?”

“They shouldn’t” she beamed before she ceased her stride as they reached the gate and began to dig into her brown satchel. “Here,” she stated while handing him his Invisibility Cloak. “Hermione mentioned a while back, about how she confiscated it from you after you and Ronald had used it to sneak off school grounds during class, so I went into her room to get it. I thought you could use it in case someone spots you.”

“Wow…uh, thanks, Luna,” he claimed in surprise while taking the thin blanket. “But I suppose I’ll have to put it back before ‘Mione returns. Otherwise, she’ll most likely have my head on a spike if she found out I had it.”

“I’m sure she will have bigger things to worry about when she finally comes home, Harry. I highly doubt one of the Deathly Hallows in your possession is at the top of her list” the Ravenclaw asserted while opening the gate. “You both have fun and I’ll see you later, yeah?”

“Thank you, Lu” Pansy softly smiled while nervously playing with her hands. Nodding once while waving farewell, Luna began to walk down the dirt path until she reached the barrier and apparated away, leaving both Harry and Pansy to awkwardly stand at the gate, unknowing of how to proceed.

“Sooooooo,” Harry exhaled deeply while placing his hands in his pockets, “do-do you want to walk down? We could apparate o-or fly if you rather.”

“I don’t mind walking” she shrugged. “I would rather not fly honestly. Luna spent a good while on my hair and the last thing I want is to mess it up with the wind and all.”

“Okay…” he answered as they both simply stayed where they were. “What about your shoes though?” he asked while looking down at her heels. “I don’t want you to get your heel stuck or something in the dirt.”

“Harry, I’ve worn heels for a better part of my life. I have no problems walking on uneven ground. I even ran in these very shoes through the Forbidden Forest the one-time Theo, Draco, Blaise, and I decided to try and prank Longbottom, who was collecting some sort of plant for Professor Sprout in the beginning of the year. Long story…Not my finest moment.”

“Alright…I won’t ask then” he chuckled slightly. “Though I am a bit curious-”

“Not happening.”

“Alright,” he chuckled again, “fair enough…Soooooo, are you ready to go? We have about forty minutes before our reservation, which means we can take our time and get to know one another a little better.”

“Okay,” she grinned before Harry waved his hand to allow her to go first through the gate.

After about five minutes of walking and questioning each other on their favorite foods, colors, and strangely enough, seasons as well, the duo fell into an awkward silence as neither of them knew what else to talk about. It wasn’t until they were about ten minutes from the village that Pansy suddenly stopped walking, causing Harry to look back in confusion as she played with the tips of her fingers.

“What’s wrong, Pans?” he inquired in concern while taking a step closer to the Slytherin.

“I can’t do small talk, Harry. Not if we’re going to be on this date for who knows how long. I hate small talk. I’ve been through far too much and have a hard time relating to people as it is. Small conversations don’t make it easier.”

“Alright, well we can talk about whatever you want. I’m an open-”

“I need to tell you something…” she restlessly blurted out. “I need to tell you something and I need you to not freak out, okay?”

“Ohh-kay…What is it? Wait,” he held up a hand, “please don’t say that this is a mistake and you’re changing your mind because I really wanted to go out with you tonight and was very much looking forward to it while getting ready. I changed my outfit like four ti-”

“It’s about what happened at lunch…” she cut in. “You should know that it wasn’t the first time.”

“Oh…W-we don’t have to talk about that. It is what it i-”

“No, you should know…”

“I really don’t. It’s not my bus-”

“I was almost raped” she quickly confessed, making the Gryffindor’s eyes widen in a mixture of shock and bewilderment.

“What?” he breathed out with narrowed brows.

“The first time my eyes went black a-and I lost control” she replied as her body shook like she was cold. “Before we go anywhere, I think it’s only fair that you know.”

“Wha-wh-when…? Where?” he stuttered as the impact of her words left him completely rattled.

“Last year…when the Carrow siblings practically ran the school.”

“By who?” he asked with venom dripping from his voice.

“Harry, I-I got away. He didn’t finish the-”

“By who, Pansy?” he quickly cut in, his fists clenched at his sides while his hair began to spark, causing the raven-haired witch to regret saying anything.

“Amycus Carrow…” she claimed reluctantly as she recalled that night the attack had happened, and tears began to brew in her eyes. Although, she was more worried about Harry going dark than her own feelings in that moment. However, the Gryffindor Prince suddenly softened his shoulders as he thought about how he was going to make the man, spending a life sentence in Azkaban, pay, and swiftly pulled Pansy into a hug, surprising her enough to force a gasp to escape her lips. “Harry, I’m fine…” she continued while slowly pulling herself out of his embrace. “Please don’t feel bad for me. You’ve already seen that I’m stronger than I look, and he didn’t get away unscathed. I just figured you should know…and so that you can understand that I know what Granger went through. It wasn’t like her ordeal though with multiple men, but…I don’t know, I just…I wanted to tell you before our date.”

“I…” he began, exhaling a large breath before taking her hand in his. “I promise you, Pansy…from this day forth, no man or woman, is ever going to hurt you again. And he will pay for what he tried to do.”

“They were already taken care of, Harry. You weren’t at his trial, so you didn’t see the aftermath of the beating he took. Those men in the camp…where Granger was taken…that wasn’t the first time Draco had gone dark either…Amycus had gone blind from the pounding he and Theo gave him while in that state. Although, I don’t think either knew the other had gone dark since Theo had no idea what happened to me at Lunch.”

“Wait a second. You said ‘they’… Who else was involved?”

“Oh…Amycus’s sister…Alecto…Mrs. Malfoy took care of her after she found out she saved her brother and then tried to torment me and kill me on numerous occasions throughout the year, before the battle. She’s been a permanent resident on the fourth floor at St Mungo’s since her trial ended. Mrs. Malfoy did exactly what Bellatrix did to Longbottom’s parents, and tortured her into insanity…But I didn’t need any of them to protect me, Harry, and I don’t want you to feel like you have to either.

“I told you because I felt that you deserved to know why I acted the way I did at lunch. I can’t stand people who not only try bringing my friends down, but men who think they’re Merlin’s gift to the world. I let my anger get the better of me and unfortunately, you had to see it. A lot of people say that I’m crazy, and dangerous, and mean, and I can’t disagree with them because I know that I am all of those things…But I don’t ever want you to think that I may hurt you o-or anyone in our Common Room. I don’t want you to continue to see me o-or go on this date with me, if you have any ounce of fear that I would harm you or anyone you care about.”

“Pansy…” he sighed gently while lightly squeezing her hand. “I trust you. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t have neglected to listen McGonagall when she told us to back away from you. I knew you weren’t going to hurt me. I also know that I was acting like a huge dick today but…it was only because I-I was nervous about tonight and I felt that if I talked to you that I might say something stupid and you wouldn’t like me anymore o-or that I may say or do something to cause everyone to know that we’re together. I don’t exactly have a ton of experience with dating and…God, you’re beautiful” he expressed before briefly closing his eyes and exhaled sharply. “I-I didn’t know how to act and if you took me avoiding you as a bad thing, I am so sorry. I honestly didn’t mean to hurt you and make matters worse; I was just…I was not being the best Gryffindor.”

“Truthfully, the only proof we have that you are a Gryffindor, is that you kissed me so boldly and the fact that no matter how many bad things tried to kill you in the Forbidden Forest, you, for some awful reason, kept going back in. I mean, you knew you even had to die in there and yet you still went in…You would think after getting attacked by giant fucking spiders, you would have PTSD of that place, but nope…you just kept on returning…”

“And yet I was still terrified to talk to you all day…”

“Well, I did overreact a bit…” she stated with a weak smile.

“You didn’t overreact. You didn’t deserve to be ignored like that, no matter how I may have felt. I’m sorry, Pansy. And I’m really happy that you trust me enough to tell me about the Carrow’s and what occurred at lunch. But please know that I was never going to press you on it. I just want you to be okay.”

“I’ll feel better with some food in me” she chuckled as she gently bit her bottom lip. “I didn’t actually get a chance to eat anything since breakfast and-”

“Merlin, I am so sorry; you must be starving!” he expressed with widened eyes. “Okay, uh…we should get going then, yeah? I think we could both also use a drink as well” he heartily smiled before walking the rest of the way to the village, holding the Slytherin’s hand the entire way.

Once they reached the busy town, the Gryffindor reluctantly removed his hand from Pansy’s as they maneuvered their way down the busy streets, packed with students enjoying their weekend, and adults taking a much-needed break from their everyday lives. Thankfully, of the few people who spotted the Chosen One, they didn’t seem to know that he was on a date with the Slytherin Princess, who stayed far enough away to make it appear that they weren’t together, and had only requested Harry’s autograph on his collectible Chocolate Frog card.

After managing to get away from the small crowd and avoiding any more people recognizing him, the duo had finally made it to the Wolf’s Den and sighed in relief that no one had followed them. The restaurant was much larger than either of them was told and appeared to be a lot fancier as well. However, after seeing a few people walking in to enjoy the pub half of the establishment, wearing business casual attire and jeans, the pair had felt a little better about the clothing they had picked out.

Not wanting to linger outside any longer, as the air was getting chilly and Harry was afraid people might spot him again, he reached out and grasped the wolf head handle on the large glass double doors, opened the entryway, and stepped off to the side so his date could enter first. Upon entering the building, both Pansy and Harry took note of how nature inspired the restaurant not only felt…but also appeared.

Every wall and column were made of a dark brown wood with climbing green vines, as true genuine Dogwood, Pine, Maple, and Eastern Hemlock trees stood erect throughout the massive room. To be able to contain the large living timbers, the ceiling, which looked like one giant glass-filled Dreamcatcher, hovered above the rustic tree trunk carved tables, and was around five stories high. Above the pub area to their left, was a massive beautiful eggshell white pillar-candled chandelier with dangling feathers wafting over a magnificent hand-carved twelve-seater bar. Protruding creek stones displayed the Premium liquor bottles as a gentle stream of water flowed smoothly down the soft-grey rocks.

However, what had ended up catching both of their eyes’ and had the couple staring in complete awe, was a full-grown, thirteen meter high, Weeping Willow tree, placed in the center of the room, surrounded by intricate weaved quilted blankets on top of a thick grass covered flooring. It was almost as if they had stepped out of a London altogether and walked directly into the middle of the woods, somewhere in the United States.

“Harry…?” Pansy uttered as she continued to take in her surroundings. “Does-does this remind you of anything?”

“Um…no…Should it? I mean it’s a bit odd that I feel like I just entered the woods, but…I kind of like it. Why haven’t either of us been here yet?”

“Good evening!” a young tan-skinned man, dressed in a breechcloth with soft red leather leggings, moccasins, and a white-clothed long-sleeved shirt, pipped cheerfully as he reached behind the wood podium for two long black menus, pulling Pansy’s focus towards him and the long black ponytail that trailed down his back. “Welcome to Wolf’s Den! You must be Luna’s friends, correct? We’ve been expecting you and have the perfect table picked out. My name is Nepi, meaning Water, but you can call me Nolan, since that seems to be easier for people to remember; I will be taking care of you this fine evening. I will refrain from using your real names, of course; Ms. Lovegood’s request. Are you ready to take your seats?” he smiled warmly.

“Err, yes…Nolan,” Harry replied before returning his gaze back to the Dreamcatcher ceiling, “thank you.”

“Perfect. I am going to escort you through the server room this way, so that no one will see you, if that’s alright. You’ll be dining in the Blue Grotto room, which holds our most popular romantic table. It’s been booked out for weeks now, but when Luna mentioned that you were looking to dine here, we moved a few things around. We are extremely excited that you chose us for your date, and I hope that we do not disappoint. If you would follow me, we’ll get you all set up.”

As the pair followed the strangely dressed server, Pansy continued to curiously wonder about why everything seemed to remind her of something. But no matter how hard she tried to think about what it was, she couldn’t focus as Harry tenderly took her hand in his and guided her through the server room to their table. Nevertheless, she was still determined to figure it out before they left the gorgeous restaurant.


	27. Unity of the Lost Ones

_“When the bones are good, the rest don't matter, Yeah, the paint could peel, the glass could shatter_  
_Let it rain 'cause you and I remain the same, When there ain't a crack in the foundation_  
_Baby, I know any storm we're facing, Will blow right over while we stay put_  
_The house don't fall when the bones are good”_

_The Bones- Maren Morris_

**Chapter 27- Unity of the Lost Ones**

Saturday, May 16th, 1999

“Here we are!” Nolan declared with a broad smile as he gestured the pair through the opaque glass door and watched as their eyes widened in surprise. Upon entering the Sweetheart Room, they found a table for two situated in the center of a raised dais, surrounded by a brilliant pool of still-blue water. A single red rose laid in the middle of the white tablecloth with a perfect view overlooking a vast valley of green trees. Moss and greenery clung to the side of the cliff walls beneath a colorful sky while pink clouds hovered delicately above.

To the left of the table stood a roughly carved stone wall, which mirrored a perfect floor to ceiling sunset, wavering above the thin line where the Earth touched the Heavens. To complement the ambiance of the outdoors, a light breeze could be felt as the sounds of tropical birds filled the evening air. “What do you think? The setting sun is permanent and there is a glass walkway over the lagoon, leading up to the island. The temperature remains fixed for comfort as well, so you do not need to worry about getting too cold or too hot.”

“It’s-it’s beautiful…” Pansy muttered in astonishment, her hand clasped against her chest while Harry unconsciously rubbed his thumb across her fingers, entwined within his grip. “Are we even in the restaurant anymore? It honestly looks and feels like we’re standing on a mountainside. This is absolutely…wondrous…”

“Wait until you see the waterfall” he smirked while bringing out his wand and flicking it at the rocks, creating a cascading wave of white water, and causing the couples’ jaws to drop in amazement. “Now you can see why this room is very popular” he claimed proudly. “The owner was very specific when creating this restaurant. He wanted only the best. Now, the waterfall won’t drown out your conversation or get you wet, but it is highly recommended that you don’t try and touch it. We’ve had far too many people do so, disrupting the magic of the room, causing it to glitch out and flood. We are required to now warn everyone beforehand that there is a signature shock barrier surrounding it.”

“It’s perfect, Nolan” Harry asserted as he took in the room.

Grinning once more, Nolan began to walk across the water towards the table and pulled out the chairs for the pair. While the Gryffindor Prince helped Pansy remove her leather jacket, Nolan set a menu on the tablecloth in front of each chair. “Can I start you off with a couple of drinks?” he questioned as Harry placed his dates jacket on the back of her chair before walking over to his seat across from her. “Our ‘Forest for The Trees’ is exceptionally popular. It’s a Bols Genever, infused with Douglas Fir tea, Dolin Blanc Vermouth, and Green Chartreuse. Pairs beautifully with our caliber of Prime Meats, cutting through the fat to instantly cleanse the palate while also contrasting any richness with hints of forest and citrus.”

“Ooo, that sounds pretty” the Slytherin pipped while glancing at the menu. “I’ll take that.”

“Exceptional taste, Miss. And for the gentleman?” Nolan questioned politely while looking to Harry on his left as the waterfall in front of him, continued to cascade down into the pool of water.

“Oh, uh…I-I don’t really know. I’ve only ever had Butterbeer and Firewhisky.”

“May I suggest a glass of Single Malt Scotch then, sir. We have Macallan, a fine choice made in Highland Scotland; exclusively matured in Sherry oak casks for a minimum of 25 years, with hints of dried fruits, smoke, and chocolate orange. Pairs exceedingly well with our signature duck. Muggles may not know magic, but they sure do know how to make alcohol.”

“Um…okay” Harry smiled before glancing up at the server. “That sounds pretty good. I’ll take it.”

“Perfect” Nolan grinned. “And would you like to order your meal now or do you need a moment to study the menu a bit more? I can put in some hors d'oeuvres while you continue looking.”

“Well, uh…Are you ready to order, Pansy?” the Gryffindor inquired while looking to his date, who was reading through the list of cuisines in front of her. “Pick out whatever you like.”

“Would you mind if I chose something for you?” she queried while meeting his green eyes.

She was aware he hardly ate out anywhere, except for at The Three Broomsticks, and Hogwarts’ meals didn’t count as their choices were limited and not nearly as expensive as what she was used to. However, Pansy didn’t want to embarrass the Boy-Who-Lived by just ordering for them and waited until he gave her permission to take charge. Although, Harry had no idea what he was looking at when he glanced back down at the menu in his hands, and inhaled a deep breath while Nolan patiently stood between the couple.

“I’ll be honest, I have a total lack of knowledge as to what any of this means so, if you could…that’d be great” he smirked, hoping he didn’t sound stupid in front of the Slytherin Princess. “Plus, you’re an awesome cook so, I figure you would know what you’re looking at.”

“Alright” she beamed, giving him the idea that Pansy actually enjoyed the idea of ordering for both of them. “We’ll take an order of the stuffed mushrooms, a plate of escargot, I’ll have the dry-aged rib eye with a veal demi, roasted duck fat fingerling potatoes, and glazed carrot. I’m sure Harry would enjoy the roasted duck breast with a red wine reduction, mashed yams, and grilled asparagus-wait, you like yams, right?” she asked the Golden boy while leaning forward slightly, causing him to shake away his impressed gaze and nod his head. “Okay good, and two waters please” she finished while looking back to Nolan.

“You know your way around a menu, Miss” the server smirked while taking the lists from the pair. “I’ll put your order in and then I’ll be right back with your drinks” he declared with a small bow before exiting the room.

“Wow…” Harry breathed out. “That was impressive! I also have no idea what you ordered, but it all sounds delicious” he chuckled as Pansy slightly blushed.

“I uh, I don’t normally get to order for myself” she confessed while rubbing her palms across the top of her thighs. “My father usually orders for me and my mother…well…used to at least for my mother. Now he just orders for me all the time, and it’s always the same thing…chicken or fish. I can only eat so much of either before I get sick of them” she chuckled lightly.

“What about the other times you’ve been on a date? They wouldn’t let you get what you wanted?” he questioned while leaning his forearms on the table.

“If you count going to the pub and my friends ordering my drinks for me, then no…This is the first time I’ve actually been on a real date.”

“Really?” he asked in surprise. “I find that hard to believe.”

“Well it’s true” she shrugged as she turned her gaze to the waterfall on her right. “I’ve been promised dates a lot in my life, but no one has actually fulfilled the deed…until now” she smiled while looking back to the Gryffindor.

“Then I’m honored” he grinned happily. “So-”

“What was it like?” she quickly cut in while once again leaning forward.

“What was what like?”

“To live outside the walls of a pure-blooded family. To be able to eat when you wanted, say what you wanted, to not have to constantly go to fancy gatherings and holiday balls, where you’re expected to be prim and proper all the time. What was it like to feel…free?”

“Pansy…have-have you never heard my story? Besides what happened with my parents?” he questioned with a raised brow just as Nolan came back with their drinks. Pansy however, waited to answer until the server had finished setting down the beverages and waters, and left the room again.

“I mean, I heard you lived with your aunt, uncle, and cousin for a bit before you moved in with the Weasley’s and then got your own place at the Black’s family home…Why? Did I say something wrong?”

“No, of course not” he weakly smiled. “It’s just that…living with my aunt and uncle…it wasn’t the greatest. I was basically like a house-elf to them and my cousin, Dudley…he was…I guess the best example would be the muggle equivalent of Draco Malfoy back in the day, but more spoiled, fatter, and physically meaner. Though he has grown up since then…and become thinner.”

“I-I’m sorry. I-I didn’t know.”

“Don’t worry about it” he claimed with a wave of his hand. “It’s a long story for another time. But to answer your question, I…I didn’t really feel free…until after the fall of Voldemort. My whole life was filled with people telling me what I could and couldn’t do, what I was supposed to be and how I was supposed to act; though not in the same manner as you” he sighed while leaning back in his chair. “I didn’t have fancy dinners or balls, I never attended adequate tea dates or been to a society meeting, I’ve never once been through proper training and lessons on how to sit, stand, talk, eat-”

“Merlin, you make it sound like I’m sort of Royal Princess or something” she interrupted with a small frown.

“Because technically you are” he replied with a tender smile. “You’re Slytherins’ Princess, Pansy. And if you honestly think about it, everyone who’s pure-blood and comes from old money, like your family, the Malfoy’s, the Zabini’s, the Nott’s, etcetera, are. You all have the same traditions the muggle Royal Family does; just without the tiaras, palaces, speeches, and well, ruling over a country. You’re all practically wizarding royalty.”

“I guess Malfoy Manor could be considered a palace” she giggled softly.

“Oh, it most definitely is” Harry chuckled as Nolan returned with their appetizers.

“And I do have a few tiaras…” she admitted with a broad smirk after their waiter had left and Harry picked up one of the escargots from the plate.

“I…I’m not even going to question that” he grinned as he studied the hors d'oeuvre in his fingers. “How do you even eat this thing? What is this, anyway?”

“Harry…I-I need to tell you something else…”

“What’s that?” he asked while looking to the tongs that accompanied the appetizer.

“I saw them…” Pansy declared while the Gryffindor picked up the small two-pronged fork and started to dig at the meat within the shell.

“Saw who?” he inquired, brutally trying to pluck out the inside of the hull.

“Our friends…in the book I borrowed…”

“Mmhmm…”

“The ones stuck in the past.”

“What?” he asked in shock while simultaneously, and accidentally, flinging the meat from the shell at Pansy, who quickly stood in surprise. “Oh, God! I’m so sorry!”

“It’s fine” she claimed with a raised hand as Harry rushed over to help her clean the juices off her white top. “Harry stop, it’s alright. I can vanish it away. Besides, that’s not how you eat snails anyway.”

“I-I-I…I almost ate a snail?” His eyes went wide as his hand froze in place, causing Pansy to chuckle as she brought out her wand in order to charm away the stain on her camisole.

“Well, it was a snail until you brutally massacred it and then sent its body flying through the air” she snickered with a shake of her head, although the Gryffindor Prince just stood frozen in shock as he stared unseeingly at the napkin touching the Slytherins’ top. “Harry? Harry, you have to move your hand from my chest for me to-”

“Sorry…It was an accident” he breathed out, though he had yet to remove his hand or his gaze.

“Harry…” she asserted gently while glancing down, “your hand is still on my breast…”

“Still an accident…” he whispered while finally looking to the witch’s eyes as her chest rose and fell steadily. “Wait…you-you said you saw them?” he asked, shaking away the daze, while collectively breaking the intense trance the couple was in, ruining the moment.

“Oh, uh yeah…I-I did…” she answered despondently as Harry lowered his hand, went back to his chair, and Pansy efficiently removed the stain before retaking her own seat. “In the history book I borrowed from Mrs. Malfoy…I-I saw Caleb too…I believe his daughter is the ancestor for their third era.”

“H-how did they look? Are they alright?”

“They seemed happy…” she confessed while lowering her gaze to her hands. “More than happy, I feel…”

“What is it?” he queried when he noticed how sullen his date had become.

“I uh…I-I saw Draco and Granger…kissing…”

“Oh…” he stated, however, he didn’t act surprised like she had expected him to.

“You already knew…Didn’t you? That they were together.”

“I um…I uh, saw them…kiss already…It was back in Pompeii when they all assumed that ash cloud was going to kill them…” he admitted while biting his lower lip anxiously. “I thought it was just because they thought they were going to die. I didn’t want anyone to get upset about it because I didn’t think it was a romantic gesture.”

“But…?” she asked, knowing he was holding something back.

“But…When Draco went dark in that tent, and I saw the way he treated ‘Mione after he saved her…I could feel what he felt still. I knew then that…that he was in love with her.”

“Why…didn’t you tell me?” she questioned with tears filling her brown eyes. “Why didn’t you say something? Why is it that everyone is so afraid to tell me anything that involves Draco?”

“For the same reason you aren’t telling me that you saw Ginny and Blaise together. I didn’t want you to get hurt o-or stop fancying me because you were still hung up on Malfoy. What I saw in Pompeii…” he paused for a moment while inhaling a sharp breath and sighed heavily. “I didn’t want to upset you…And after you helped me with my bath at the Manor, I-I knew I had a crush on you. You became more than a friend to me. But then Gettysburg happened, and I had this fear that you still only wanted him, and that if I told you, then my happy little bubble would break because your reaction would end up confirming that fear. I-I just wanted you to learn to fancy me without the complication of Malfoy getting in the way.”

“Harry…” she uttered in a near whisper.

“Look I know this is our first date and we hardly know each other outside of school, but…there’s something about you, Pansy, that I can’t for the life of me, shake. You’ve become such a wonderful friend and I’ve learned so much about you these past two weeks…I was scared that you wouldn’t want to date me if I said something.”

“Harry…” Pansy quickly cut in again.

“I’m just saying that y-you’ve grown to mean a lot to me and-”

“Harry…stop” she softly ordered as he nervously inhaled. “I don’t want Draco…” she claimed with a weak smile as her breath caught. “Not anymore.”

“Promise…?” he queried almost desperately, however, realizing that he must have sounded like a mental creep by asking her to confirm what they both already knew.

“I promise…” she smiled tenderly as he released the breath, he didn’t realize he was holding. “After all, I did agree to go out with you and then practically attacked you on the Quidditch field to get you to still take me…”

“I mean, I-I was going to try and take you regardless if you attacked me or not” he chortled lightly. “I was only out there because I was trying to think of a way to convince you to still go with me and hitting Bludgers helps me clear my head.”

“Well, I’m glad it worked out…Annnd you’re right…I did see Weasley and Blaise together, but…I didn’t want to confirm my fears either because I thought you may still have feelings for your ex. I started crushing on you too after I set up your bath…”

“Really?” he expressed a little too cheerfully.

“How is everything in here?” Nolan interrupted as he poked his head into the room, causing Pansy to quickly tuck her hair behind her ear and Harry to clear his throat while looking to the appetizers in front of him.

“Uh, it’s a…great!” the Gryffindor expressed while quickly lifting his glass and taking a sip of the fine scotch. Although he winced ever so slightly as he wasn’t used to sipping on expensive liquor. “C-can you hold off on bringing the entrées for a bit? We haven’t had a chance to really enjoy this…snail” he gulped while lightly scrunching his nose, resulting in Pansy giggling into her hand as she rested her elbow on the table. “Although, my date has had more of a taste than I think she wanted…”

“Would you like me to show you how to shuck the shells?”

“No thanks, Nolan. Um, I’m sure Pansy can show me. If not, then I’ll call for you.”

“Yes, sir” Nolan grinned with a small bow. “I’ll check on you again in about fifteen minutes to see if you’re ready for the main dishes.”

“Thank you!” Pansy waved while biting her bottom lip and doing her best to hold back a laugh.

After their entrees were served, twenty minutes later, and the couple talked about their pasts, friends, and family, Nolan vanished away their empty dishes before setting down a plated dessert as the couple laughed at the game, they were in the middle of playing.

“What are these?” Pansy inquired as she studied the four little red and white mushrooms on the plate in the center of the table. “They’re so cute!”

“Our ‘Enchanted Woodland Macaroons’, Miss” he smiled happily. “Red Velvet macaroon shells with a bit of cocoa powder and cream cheese icing, powdered sugar sprinkled on top, and house-made marshmallows for the stem. It’s a new dish our chef created and wanted to see how it fairs. It’s complimentary. We only ask that you tell us if it’s good or bad.”

“They look delicious! Thank you!” she beamed while Harry fondly gazed at his Princess. However, the longer he looked at her, the more he noticed the twinkle of green in her eyes and small dimples in her cheeks when she smiled, which made her look absolutely adorable. But as she gleefully spoke with the waiter about the dessert, Harry sat in his chair with a fixed stare, his lips slightly parted as his breathing became heavy, and he abruptly wondered if maybe, he was falling in love with Pansy Parkinson.

But it was too soon wasn’t it? He barely knew her; and not even ten days ago, she was screeching about ‘her’ poor Draco being stuck in the past with his ‘horrible’ best friend. It was most definitely way too soon to be thinking about love. Although, each time he looked at her, his heart began to race rapidly within his chest, forcing him to stop and think about what he wanted to say next so that his words wouldn’t get all jumbled again as butterflies filled his stomach. Perhaps his emotions were simply a result of nerves? Then again, how would he even know? The only women he’d ever loved in life, were as family. So, how would he be able to decipher what he was feeling now if he’d never truly fallen in love with someone before? But didn’t Draco, of all people, show him what it was supposed to feel like in that vision? Or was it different for each person? Now he just confused himself even more.

“Well, I shall leave you for now” Nolan broadly smiled while setting a small black book on the table. “Enjoy your dessert and please take your time. There is no rush. Also, we kindly request that you fill out the survey on the bottom of the tab, so that we know how we did. And please let me know if you will be requiring anything else. It has been a pleasure meeting you both. We hope to see you again.”

“Thank you, Nolan” Pansy asserted before glancing at Harry and raising a brow when she noticed his bewildered gaze. “Everything alright?”

“Huh? Yeah…I’m fine.”

“Are you sure? You look worried…”

“Worried?” he expressed with a sharp exhale as he rubbed his sweaty palms on his lap. “No…I-I was just thinking.”

“Alright, if you say so” she smirked while leaning back in her chair, causing the Gryffindor to clear his throat and lean forward, doing his best to try and forget the rambling thoughts. “So, seeing as I got batteries correct, it’s my turn, right?”

“Ehem…yeah, uh…I supposed you get to ask me what a certain muggle item is” he chuckled softly.

“Okay!” she beamed while intriguingly leaning forward. “So, tell me, Harry Potter…what’s the difference between a pen and pencil? I know pens are like quills, but like, have the ink inside them…so, what’s a pencil?” she asked innocently, resulting in Harry snickering into his hand. “What? What’s wrong? Was that a stupid question? I know there are so many other things out there that you could tell me, but that has been bothering me for so long, and-Stop laughing at me!”

“I’m not laughing at you” he chortled with a shake of his head and crossed his arms. “I just think the way you asked is…cute” he claimed as Pansy’s cheeked flushed. “A pencil is made of wood and has lead inside of it. If you make a mistake when you write with it, the quick easy way to remove the mistake instead of crossing it out like with a quill or using your wand, you can use the eraser on the opposite end. Plus, you can sharpen the tip when it goes dull.”

“Really? So, there’s no magic when erasing?” she pipped in excitement. However, her smile quickly faded as Nolan rushed back into the room, panting heavily.

“Mr. Potter! Ms. Parkinson!” he proclaimed in a panic while hastily closing the door behind him. “I-I apologize for the use of your real names, but…we sort of have a small problem.”

“Small?” Harry began with a raised brow. “You sound and look like you just saw a Werewolf.”

“Worse!”

“Worse than a Werewolf?” Pansy questioned with a tilt of her head.

“Well um…a-a customer had apparently seen Mr. Potter enter the restaurant…” he gulped nervously.

“You were a Hufflepuff, weren’t you?” the raven-haired witch inquired with narrowed brows. “I feel like you were a Hufflepuff…So, someone saw Harry; that’s not worse than seeing a Werewolf” she claimed, taking a sip of her fourth drink.

“I was actually” he grinned proudly before he shook his head and dawned a serious expression. “That’s beside the point…”

“What is the point, Nolan?” the raven-haired Prince curiously queried.

“It-it seems they saw you with a young unidentifiable woman…and uh, well…they told the Press, who are at this moment, bombarding the front doors trying to get the latest scoop.”

“What?” Harry yelled as Pansy began to choke on her beverage. “Shite, Pans! Are you okay?” he asked while she coughed a few times and cleared her throat with her hand resting on her chest.

“I’m fine” she stated before once again clearing her throat. “I just…ehem…I’m fine” she weakly smiled.

“Do you have a back exit or something?” the Gryffindor asked while removing his Invisibility Cloak from his jacket pocket.

“Is that a-”

“Nolan…” he cut in before the server had a chance to finish his sentence. “I’m gonna need you to keep this between us. Now, do you have a back exit or not?”

“We do. I-I apologize, sir.”

“Don’t worry about it” he replied politely as he stood and pulled out his money pouch in order to pay for the meal. “Can you please show us the way?”

“Yes, sir. If you would follow me this way” Nolan declared while bringing out his wand and packing up the dessert the couple hadn’t had a chance to try yet. “There’s actually a door behind the waterfall that leads through the kitchen. I do hope this doesn’t deter you from dining here again.”

“This wasn’t your fault, Nolan,” Pansy spoke gently as she picked up the to-go box and Harry took her free hand in his, “and I would love to come back sometime…if…I mean, if Harry would like to join me?”

“Oh, uh…” the Golden Boy began to stutter while rubbing his hand on the back of his neck. “Yeah-yes, definitely. But first, we need to avoid getting our pictures taken and possibly a scandalous article written about us in the Daily Prophet.”

“Oh, Gods! Nolan, you didn’t see Rita Skeeter out there, did you?” the witch panicked. “Shite! What if she’s been spying on us? Doesn’t she turn into some sort of bug or something?”

“Don’t worry about her” Harry smirked. “Hermione struck a deal with her a few years ago.”

“Oh…” the Slytherin uttered with narrowed brows of confusion.

“Would you excuse me for a moment?” Nolan requested. “I need to let my manager know that I’ll be escorting you.”

“Take your time” the raven-haired wizard stated before Nolan quickly scampered off.

“What deal did Granger make with Skeeter?” Pansy pressed once the server was out of the room.

“Uh…well, she captured her in beetle form, placed her in jar imbued with an Unbreakable charm so she couldn’t transform, and then threatened to tell the Ministry that she was an illegal Animagus if she didn’t comply. Rita Skeeter will now only write about me if, and or when, she receives permission and approval from either Hermione or myself. Especially after the little biography she wrote about me when the war was over, which by the way, was only about a quarter of the truth.”

“Geez…Granger is definitely a bigger badarse than I thought.”

“Be sure to tell her that once she finds out we’re dating. She may be less inclined to trap you in a jar as well…” he stated, causing Pansy to giggle before realizing he was serious.

“You’re not joking, are you?”

“No. She will literally transfigure you and put you into a jar.”

“But she’s dating Draco…”

“True, but Malfoy’s a guy. Women, for some reason, are different. You lot are way more spiteful towards one another.”

“Okay, you have a point.”

“Are you two ready or would you like a little more time?” Nolan requested as he re-entered the room. “My manager and a few other staff members are keeping the press at bay for now and I received permission to put a locking charm on the door to keep anyone who may slip past, out.”

“No, that’s okay. We’re ready” the Slytherin Princess replied before following the man through what now looked like an entrance to a cave. “Um, Nolan…? Quick question. Why was that room called ‘The Blue Grotto’ if we couldn’t see the cave behind the waterfall?” she queried as they walked down a long hall lit up by the glowing blue water flooring.

“Ahh, yes. During construction of the building, the owner originally was going to have the room look, sound, and feel like The Blue Grotto in Capri, Italy before scrapping the idea and making it a cliffside view overlooking a mountain of trees. Something about Grotto didn’t give him the reminiscing feel he was aiming for or really fit with the theme of the restaurant. However, he did choose to combine the two, as a way to remember his departed friend, and this was supposed to be the path to enter the room, but it was later decided that the kitchen would be better suited at the end.

“Before the last incident, where someone touched the waterfall, you could see the cave’s entrance clearly, which meant more people wanted to know what laid beyond it, not believing it was just the kitchen. So, when the barrier was erected, the Grotto entrance was hidden for safety purposes, but we never changed the name. Anyway, if you two could don that cloak of yours, it would be best if no one saw you walking through the galley. I don’t want to risk anything if a reporter snuck in through the back.”

“How far out from the restaurant does the anti-disapparation ward go?” Harry questioned as he wrapped the sheet around Pansy’s shoulders.

“Just a few meters around the building. Not too far. I’ll grab the evening deliveries out back and prop the door for you, so if someone is in the alleyway, they simply assume I’m alone…Alright, here we are” he declared as the trio stopped in front of the entryway at the end of the hall. “Stay quiet and stay behind me, we’ll have to walk fast; it’s a busy area back there.”

Once figuring out a way to maneuver through the chaos of the kitchen without running into anyone, Pansy and Harry quickly rushed out into the alley. Sure enough, there were a few reporters waiting outside, hoping to snap a picture of Harry Potter and his secret date, but luckily no one noticed the couple slip out, and as soon as they were far enough away, the duo apparated to the edge of Hogsmeade.

“Is this a regular thing for you?” the raven-haired witch inquired as Harry tucked the Invisibility Cloak into his pocket. “Sneaking around with that thing?”

“Can I plead the fifth?”

“In America, yeah, if you’re on trial…not here. You seem far too comfortable and know exactly how to hold a cloak, that’s built for like one person, so that it can cover two adults with ease. So, I will ask you again; is sneaking around a regular thing for you?”

“Yes…” he answered with a small gulp as Pansy just stared at him with her arms crossed.

“Can I borrow it?”

“Foooor what, exactly?”

“So, I can sneak out of your room later” she smirked as Harry’s eyes widened. “What? Our date’s not over until dessert is finished, and seeing as we haven’t had a chance to try it yet…” she held up the to-go box in her hand, “I thought maybe we could share it as we look over the history book. The one where I found our friends.”

“Oh,” he breathed out with a small chuckle.

“What did you think I meant?”

“Nothing” he quickly claimed with a small shake of his head. “Sounds good to me.”

“Alight” she smiled happily. “Do you uh…do you wanna play a game on the way back up to the castle?”

“Sure” he shrugged while placing his hands in his pockets. “What kind of game? The animal one? I spy?”

“Oh, I was thinking more of Secrets” she stated before realizing how much her feet hurt. “Can you hold this for a sec?”

“Yeah…” Taking the dessert in his hands, Harry watched as Pansy bent down and began to unbuckle the straps of her stilettos. Taking a step forward, he allowed her to use his shoulder for balance as she removed each shoe before reaching out a hand to take the heels from her. However, the Princess simply looked at him with a tilt of her head, causing the Gryffindor to relax his shoulders and give her a knowing look. “Just let me carry them for you, Pansy. You’ve had to wear them all night, so I think it’s only fair.”

“Okay, just…don’t wear them” she teased, forcing a smile to splay across the wizards’ lips.

“They’re not really my style” he joked while gripping the stilettos by the front strap. “Black is so not my color” he continued to quip.

“Black goes with everything. I just feel the heel may be a bit too high for you.”

“You’re right…I’m not used to anything over two inches” he ticked with folded lips. “I would definitely break an ankle.”

“Shut-up” she laughed before slipping her arm through his and began walking up the path leading back to school.

“So, how do you play this Secrets game?” he asked while glancing to the ground to avoid any small rocks his witch may step on.

“It’s easy. I’ll tell you a secret about me that either no one else knows or only a hand full of people know, and in return, you tell me one of yours. We go back and forth until we decide to stop. There isn’t really a winner…I-I figured it’s a good way for us to get to know one another more.”

“Okay” he grinned before biting his lower lip and inhaled a deep breath. “Let’s see…” he exhaled slowly. “Well, there was this one time, during third year, where I played Truth or Dare with the guys in the Gryffindor Tower, and Seamus decided it would be funny to dare me to run naked through the Great Hall…Although, Nearly-Headless Nick didn’t see the humor when he caught me.”

“Wow…I’m almost upset I missed that” she giggled. “But that doesn’t beat the time I turned Mrs. Norris invisible and watched as Filch ran through the halls in a panic, searching for her, when the entire time she was following him right on his heels, meowing.”

“I enjoy reading romantic novels.”

“You do?” she questioned while ceasing their stride.

“Please don’t tell anyone” he stated with a small frown. “Ron would tease me for the rest of my life if he found out. I would never hear the end of it.”

“I won’t tell…As long as you don’t tell anyone that I have an obsession with acting out dialogue in almost all the books I’ve read.”

“That sounds like fun” he chortled before continuing onward towards the castle.

“It is. You should try it. I feel it really puts you into the character’s mind state. Maybe we could read something together one day…”

“As long as you’re alright with my terrible acting, sure. Why not?”

After joking with one another the entire way back, sneaking their way past a few students that had not gone down to the village, and managing to enter the Common Room undetected, Harry and Pansy sat side by side on the Gryffindor’s bed. While they examined the pictures the Slytherin had found earlier in the day and semi-enjoyed the dessert from dinner, the Gryffindor Prince furrowed his brows in bewilderment the longer he took in the group printed on the parchment before him.

“They do seem really happy given their predicament” Harry spoke as he studied the picture of their friends posing with Caleb and his family. “And this Caleb bloke seems like a good guy. Hermione appears to trust him and that’s good enough for me. Not that I could do anything about it anyway.”

“I wonder if they’ve had sex yet…” Pansy declared with a tilt of her head as she nonchalantly picked at the macaroon on her plate.

“What? ‘Mione and Caleb? Have you lost your marbles?”

“Ewe, no. Not Granger and that ancestor…maybe back in Gettysburg when he was still younger, but ewe, no. I meant Granger and Draco.”

“Why would you care if they did or not?”

“I don’t” she shrugged while dusting off her hands and leaned back against the Gryffindors’ headboard. “I was just wondering. I think they did. She is pretty and I feel she would be able to please him well enough in the bedroom. I’d do her.”

“What?”

“What?” she questioned innocently. “I would. She’s hot with that haircut. I bet Draco styled it, he’s always been good with hair.”

“Wait, are you…?”

“No,” she chuckled. “I would never date a girl, but that hasn’t stopped me from diving into the pleasures of the female anatomy. We’re beautiful specimens, if I do say so myself” she admitted while Harry just stared at her, speechless. “And now you’re picturing me snogging your best friend, aren’t you?” she smirked.

“No! Hermione is like my sister! I would never-”

“It’s perfectly alright, you know, natural even. And it’s not like she’s your real sister. If she was, then I would be worried.”

“I wasn’t picturing her snogging you.”

“But you were picturing something dirty” she ticked.

“I wasn’t!”

“Honestly, Harry, you need to lighten up. Everyone talks about sex and has a dirty mind. I’m not going to judge you because you had a sexual thought of me snogging, or even shagging, someone you know.”

“Are you saying I’m uptight?” he asked with narrowed brows.

“Sort of” she half-shrugged. “You are getting a wee bit upset about what I said.”

“If you say so…” he claimed while closing the book and setting both it and their half-finished dessert, on the bench at the end of his bed.

“Harry, I’m not trying to-”

“I know” he sighed before he laid back across the mattress and rubbed his hand down his face. “I’m sorry, it’s just…I don’t know. I’ve never really been one to talk about…well, you know.”

“Sex? It’s not a bad word…Wait a second,” Pansy sat up straight, tucked her legs under her, before she grabbed the large pillow to her right, and held it close to her chest, “are you…Harry, are you a virgin?”

“What?” he expressed while quickly turning his stunned gaze to the witch, who seemed a little too excited. “No! I-I’ve had sex before. I’m just…I’m not as experienced as…”

“As me?” she huffed with a small frown. “Pansy Parkinson, the ice queen, the cold bitch, the school… whore.” While rotating to his side and propping himself up on his right arm, Harry gazed at his girlfriend dolefully while trying to think about how things kept turning south on them. “What?” she questioned as a small tear trickled down her cheek. “You think I didn’t hear all the whispers, the names they called me or used to, whatever…? I know what people think of me, Harry, and I have tried really hard to change their minds, to change, to be a better person. But it doesn’t matter to them because I will always be the girl who is too comfortable talking about things no one else is and is apparently willing to sleep with any guy she sees.”

“I was going to say as I think I should be” he claimed glumly. “You’re not a whore, Pansy.”

“Damn right, I’m not! I’ve only ever had sex with like, two people. Crabbe and Goyle started that nasty rumor after the Yule Ball, when I turned both of them down as dates. Yeah okay, I’m experienced, but I’m not a slag like everyone thinks.”

“I never thought you were” he declared softly before moving to sit on her right and taking her hand in his. “Listen, I’ve been on the receiving end of many rumors, some even started by you, but what I’ve come to realize is, is that they’re just that…rumors. I stopped listening to them and caring about what others thought after I proved that I was right about Voldemort’s’ return. The only opinions I care about are my closet friends and myself. And I never thought any of the rumors about you were true” he claimed as Pansy weakly smiled and wiped the tear from her face, however, Harry felt he needed to do more to cheer his witch up and not ruin the perfect date they were having.

“Thank you…for saying that. I’m sorry for getting all emotional. I-I have a hard time opening up to people, but I feel comfortable with you. More comfortable than I think I have with anyone in a long time, which is why I thought it was okay to talk to you about sex. I’m sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable.” Exhaling a small breath, Harry glanced down at their hands before looking up to the dejected Slytherin.

“I…I didn’t picture you snogging Hermione, after you mentioned…you know…” he nervously stated while adjusting his glasses on his face with his free hand. “I um…I was actually imagining you kissing me…instead of her.” Pansy slowly turned her gaze towards him as he quickly cleared his throat and looked down at his lap. “You can be open with me about anything, Pans; and I mean anything. We can talk or do whatever you want, okay? If you wanna play a game, we can do that, if you wanna talk about sex and my lack thereof, then let’s talk about sex. Or if you would rather just sit here until we both fall asleep…I’m okay with that too. If you’re comfortable, then so am I.”

“Secret?” she queried, causing him to lick his lips as he smiled warmly.

“Secret…”

“I hate marshmallows…” she spoke softly, causing Harry to raise a brow of confusion.

“What?” he chuckled with narrowed brows.

“You get confused easily, don’t you?” she asked while flicking her eyes to the Gryffindors’ lips. “You say ‘what’ a lot.”

“Well, that was sort of random and a bit unexpected.”

“Harry...you told me that you wanted to take me to dinner, right?”

“Yeah…”

“And you wanted to have a few drinks, kiss me good night, and hoped that I would say yes to you taking me out again…”

“Okay…?”

“Well, we had dinner, we had a few drinks, technically I asked you for a second date at the restaurant and you said ‘yes’, but our date isn’t over yet. I ate that dessert, even though I hate marshmallows, so that you could kiss me goodnight.”

“Y-you want to end our date?” he inquired sorrowfully. “I-I thought we were having a good time. Did you not have fun?”

“I had fun” she warmly smiled. “But yes; I want to end our date. All you have to do is say goodnight.”

“Wh-why?” he breathed out in a mixture of heartbreak and bewilderment.

“So, that I can kiss you…like I’ve been wanting to since you picked me up…Harry, I really need you to end this date.”

“Wh-”

“Would you stop questioning me and kiss me already!” she demanded rather sternly.

“Okay!” he yelped before quickly leaning in peaking her on the lips.

“Now say good night…”

“This is extremely odd, but alright…Good night, Pansy.”

“Good night, Harry” she grinned as her eyes lowered back to his lips.

“Okay so, now wh-” he began to inquire, but was instantly cut off as Pansy pressed into him, roughly connecting their lips together, and forcing him to lean back on his hand for support, all the while surprising him with her unexpected strength. “What uh…” he swallowed hard while trying to breathe as the Slytherin witch climb on top of him, straddling his lap, and ran her lips across his jaw and down his neck. “What are you doing?” he managed to ask through the heated moment. And although he was utterly shocked, it didn’t stop him from placing his hands upon Pansy’s hips and pulling her closer to him.

“I want you, Harry” she claimed through deep breaths as she continued to peck every inch of his exposed skin. “Our date is officially over which means-”

“Pansy, I…” clearing his throat while simultaneously casually bucking his hip, allowing the raven-haired witch on top of him to feel his throbbing length between her legs. “I-I don’t know if this is a good idea.”

“I ate marshmallows for you…” she pouted while leaning back some, her arms resting on his shoulders.

“And I…have no idea what to say to that, I just know that…I-I don’t want you to-to leave unsatisfied or-or…disappointed. I don’t want to ruin this entire night by fucking up.”

Tilting her head slightly, Pansy smirked as she brushed a strand of loose hair back from Harry’s eyes, and gently bit her bottom lip.

“You could never disappoint me” she smiled before softly kissing the top of his forehead. “Regardless of your experience with women or sex, you’ve treated me better in a few short hours than any guy has my whole life. When I say that I want you, it isn’t about me or my needs. I want to make you happy.”

“You already have by saying yes to dating me.”

“That’s not enough for me. I know that sounds mean, and I don’t mean it to be, but I want to make you happier…if that makes sense, because I think you deserve the best. I know I can give that to you.”

“I don’t want you for your body, Pansy.”

“I know…” she weakly shrugged as she glanced down and played with the buttons on his green shirt. “I just wanted to help you take your mind off of everything.”

“I have. This day…it’s the best one I have had in months. For a while, I forgot everything we’ve been dealing with…But I won’t deny that seeing you naked hasn’t crossed my mind…a few hundred times tonight” he stated after sensing her sullen emotions; however, he never had a chance to say more as Pansy ripped open his shirt, effortlessly popping the buttons off the cloth, causing Harrys’ eyes to widened. “I just bought this shirt.”

“I’ll buy you a new one” she asserted before recapturing his lips. Harry leaned forward to help her ease the fabric from his shoulders as he ground his hips against hers. As he tossed the button-down off to the side, the Slytherin Princess quickly began pulling up his tee, making the Gryffindor Prince breath heavy as anxiety began to overwhelm him. “Harry?” With narrowed brows, Pansy gazed at her wizard with concern while lowering the cloth in her hands, before realizing how pressured he must feel with her aggressive approach. “Are you okay?”

“I uh…I-I don’t really know what I’m doing. The first and well, only time, I’ve had a sexual encounter…it…it didn’t exactly go the way I thought it would.”

“What happened?”

“I-I don’t really want to talk about it.”

“You climaxed too early, didn’t you?”

“I said I didn’t wanna talk about it” he frowned while averting his gaze.

“Harry…” she giggled slightly as she placed her fingers under his chin and turned his attention back to her. “That’s an easy fix.”

“What? H-how?” he inquired, partially embarrassed that he was so new to everything and had no idea what the hell he was in for.

“You have to nut one out first.”

“I what?”

“Seriously, Harry, please stop saying ‘what’” she sighed heavily with a small chuckle.

“I’m not going to masturbate in front of you! That’s strange to even think about.”

“You do know there are other ways to get you to cum without you jerking off in front of me, right?”

“Wha-I mean, h-how?” Raising a brow while Pansy gave him a curious look, Harry’s dick began to grow harder as her fingers delicately trailed down his chest. His heart beat rapidly as her lips gently pressed against his forehead; however, he was confused when she suddenly pulled back and stood from the bed “Did I do something wrong?” Rather than answer him, she reached up and slowly removed her camisole, revealing her white lacy bra which perfectly hugged her breasts as she dropped the silk fabric to the floor. She then started to undo the button on her jeans, causing the Gryffindor’s breath to catch as he studied her flawless body.

“Have you ever had a blow job, Harry?” Not trusting his words, he shook his head, but never once removed his eyes off the beautiful figure standing half-naked in his room. Although, he couldn’t really say anything except for ‘no’ as he had no idea what she was even talking about. Instead of paying attention to his friends sexual exploits throughout sixth year, he had concerned himself with the impending war and following Malfoy around, so unfortunately, he never had the time to learn more than the basics. But he didn’t want to look stupid in front of the one person willing to teach him new things and if she ended up asking him what it was, he would simply nod his head and pretend he did. After all, he took down the most dangerous dark wizard the world had ever seen, surely, he could handle whatever a blow job was. “You don’t know what it is, do you? If you did, then you would already be laying down.”

“I-I-I…” he stuttered, realizing he had no idea how to answer her.

“It’s okay if you don’t. You know, I kind of like that you’re a newbie” she smiled while biting her lower lip, making Harry’s chest rise and fall rapidly. “You can lay down now.”

“O-o-o-okay…” he gulped. “H-here?” he asked while pointing to where he was currently sitting.

“Move down a bit towards the center of the bed.”

“O-okay…” Slowly moving towards the center of the mattress, the raven-haired wizard stared at Pansy in awe as she stepped forward, climbed on top of him, and helped him remove the undershirt he was still wearing.

“Relax, Harry” she softly instructed after setting the shirt off to the side and softly running her fingers down his shaggy chest before lifting his left hand and tenderly placing it upon her covered breast. “Breathe…Trust me…”

“I-I trust you, I just…I h-have no idea what I’m s-supposed to do.”

“You don’t have to do anything, love.” She leaned down and began to carefully trail her lips across his ear before gently nibbling his lobe and causing a soft moan to escape his throat. “Just enjoy and let me do everything” she whispered while gliding her fingers down his ribs. “I just need you to relax, alright? I promise you’ll like this.”

After he nodded his head without saying a word, Pansy started leaving tender kisses down his neck before slowly backing up. Continuing downwards, without breaking her lips away from the Gryffindors skin, she only stopped once she reached the button of his jeans. Unbuttoning his pants, she made sure her movements were slow and sensual, giving Harry the chance to acclimate to what she was doing before pulling down the zipper and easing the jeans and his boxers from off his body, freeing his hardened length. Still nervous but slightly calmer, Harry lifted his head and watched as the witch gently touched his dick with her fingertips before placing a soft tender kiss upon the tip.

As his body lightly twitched and his eyes closed in pleasure, he suddenly felt her tongue lick up the length of his cock, forcing a groan from his throat as his hands tightened into fists, gripping the comforter to try and prevent himself from ejaculating from one simple action. Although he still didn’t understand why the deed was called a blow job. He soon found out, however, after Pansy had wrapped her lips around the tip of his member and slowly began to lower her head downward. Taking her time, she continued to take him in until she could feel him touch the back of her throat, before lifting her head, but never removing her mouth from off him.

Enjoying the pleasurable groans her wizard was making, Pansy softly moaned, resulting in small vibrations to cascade down Harry’s cock. The Gryffindor’s jaw dropped as he threw his head back as a deep growl emitted from his lips. Feeling the urge circulating through him, Harry quickly looked down at the witch sucking gently on his hard-pulsating dick as a mixture of fear and delectation engulfed his body.

“Pans-Pansy,” he choked out with a ragged gasp as she continued to steadily stroke him with her mouth. “Pansy-fuck…I’m gonna-oh God, fuck-I’m gonna cum, Pan-Pansy.” However, she ignored his warning and continued to caress his cock with her tongue, forcing him over the edge as he placed his hands upon the top of her head and released his seed deep in her throat while crying out in sheer bliss.

Keeping her lips on him as Harry rode out his climax, she swallowed the load in her mouth before licking the semen dripping down his member as he breathed heavily and stared at the ceiling in disbelief. After steadying his breath, he opened his mouth to speak, but his brain and his lips didn’t seem to want to cooperate with each other and he spit out the first thing that came to mind. “I love you.” Both his and Pansy’s eyes widened in surprise as he quickly lifted his head and glanced at the stunned witch in horror. “That! I-I meant I loved that! I-I didn’t-I just-”

“It’s okay, Harry” she giggled lightly while sitting upright. “People tend to say things out of the blue after and or during an orgasm. It happens” she smiled while tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “It’s not like you meant it or anything.”

“Yeah, no…No…” he claimed, but as he laid his head back down, he suddenly became confused as to why he felt rejected at her words, when he had just had the best climax of his life. Of course, his mind was lost in the moment, but his heart was strongly telling him that he did mean what he said, even if it came out accidentally.

“Are you alright?” she inquired, breaking the silence that had quickly surrounded them.

“I’m fine” he smiled through the dejection he was feeling. “Just replaying the last five minutes in my head.”

“You know, the more often you cum, the longer you’ll last” she insisted while once again biting her lower lip. “I don’t mind helping you” she claimed in a near whisper.

“Yeah?” he asked while returning his focus on her.

“Yeah” she grinned happily.

“Come here” he requested while slowly pulling her closer to him and removing the sullen thoughts from his mind. He just wanted to spend the rest of the night in bliss with his girl and not think about his unexpected admittance. “What do we do now?” he murmured while brushing her hair out of her face.

“Well, we need to give you a few minutes to recuperate before really doing anything else.”

“Can I um…can you show me how to, you know, please you while we wait? I-I’d like to return the favor, if that’s alright with you?”

“Harry, you don’t have to-”

“I want to” he declared tenderly.

After thinking about it for a few seconds, Pansy sat up and slowly unclasped her bra, exposing her impeccable breasts and making Harry lose his breath once more. She then moved off the naked Prince and laid beside him as he propped himself up on his arm and stared down at the utter perfection she emitted. Once she took off her knickers and instructed him on what to do with his fingers, Harry tried his best to follow her directions to a tee but found it hard to find her pleasure points and knew she wasn’t satisfied with his efforts. “I’m sorry…” he spoke while removing his fingers from inside her, knowing he had once again messed up another sexual encounter and internally cursed himself for his lack of knowledge on the subject.

“Don’t be sorry, Harry” she proclaimed with a gentle smile while cupping his cheek in her hand. “We can work on it, okay?”

“You-you still want to-”

“Of course, I do.” Perplexed, she tilted her head as she lifted his chin to look at her. “Harry, you’re perfect and you’ve done nothing wrong. It takes a lot to make a girl cum; I didn’t expect you to be able to do it on your first try. So, you’re struggling a bit, I don’t care. I care about you a-and this moment with you. Besides, there are plenty of other ways I can orgasm, and I can tell you right now, I am really looking forward to them” she winked, causing a smile to form on Harry’s face. “Now lay back. We’re going to have some fun.” Doing as he was told, Harry laid back down as Pansy climb on top of him and began fondly kissing her as his cock grew hard once more. Although, he was about to remove his glasses when he felt her hand reach up to stop him. “Leave them on. I want you to be able to see everything.” In that moment, he had never felt more alive in his life and was determined to give her whatever she wanted. He would do anything for her, even if that meant he had to keep his glasses on and be her secret forever.

Leaning back some, while slowly breaking away from the intense snogging, Pansy reached behind her and lined her wizard up with her center before gently gliding him into her wet core. Moaning delicately as Harry tightly filled her, she smiled happily as he pulled her closer to him, and giggled slightly as he unconsciously bucked his hips, pressing further into her. Realizing he did something right that caused his witch to whimper in delight, he repeated the movement as she placed his left hand on her breast and moved the other to wrap around her waist.

To his surprise, Harry felt an overwhelming sense of pleasure but didn’t feel the need to climax as quickly as he was used to, giving him the satisfaction of being able to enjoy pleasuring his witch. With a smile plastered on his face, he went back to heatedly kissing the Princess as he steadily pumped in and out of her.

A half-hour later, with heavy breaths and beads of sweat dripping from their skin, the couple connected their foreheads as Pansy rolled her hips and Harry pressed deeply into her. The movements they created sent a wave of euphoria and ecstasy through them, engulfing their bodies as they both came undone together. Panting hard as they remained fixed in their positions, only one thought crossed the Slytherins’ mind as Harry reached up and cupped her cheek lovingly in his palm.

“Harry, I-”

“Stay with me tonight” he requested through his labored breaths, resulting in the witch pulling back slightly.

“What?”

“Stay with me…Sleep here tonight, with me. I don’t want you to go back to your room. You can borrow my cloak in the morning, I…I don’t want to be alone right now. So…I’m asking you to stay with me.”

“Okay…” she expressed with a wide smile. “I’ll stay.”

“I didn’t know if that was going to work but I am so grateful it did” he admitted before leaning up and placing a lingering kiss upon her lips.

“Harry…?”

“Yeah?” he responded while running his fingers through her soft hair.

“I-I wanna tell our friends…”

“About the pictures? I figured we would have to tell-”

“No…I-I wanna tell them about us” she confessed, causing Harry to halt his movements and gaze into her warm eyes. “I mean after we show them the pictures, of course. I don’t want to keep you a secret anymore, Harry, I want people to know that we’re together. No more hiding, no more girls flirting with you because they think you’re available…no more secrets. I need to be able to hold your hand in the halls, kiss you in public, go on dates with you and not have to pretend that we’re just friends.”

“Are you sure?”

“I’ve never been more sure about anything. I want to be with you, in the open, as boyfriend and girlfriend. But only if you’re okay with that and what it means in the end. The whispers when we walk into a room, the talking behind our backs, the hate everyone will spill for you dating me and me supposedly ‘using’ you to fix my image. If you’re not okay with all-”

“Pansy…” he gently cut in with a feeble smile. “I can handle the heat, and if you want to tell our friends before telling everyone else, then we can do that. Whatever you want to do. I don’t care what others have to say, as long as we’re together and know the truth, I’m happy. I just want you happy too.”

“I want to tell them. That would make me happy. Regardless of the outcome, I want to be with you in the open.”

“Okay” he nodded joyfully. “We can tell them in the morning.”

“After we show them the pictures.”

“After we show them the pictures” he confirmed while brushing his thumb softly across her skin.

“Wanna go again?” she grinned gleefully, forcing a chuckle to escape the Gryffindors’ throat.

“Give me a few minutes. Then we can go as many times as you want, even if that means we don’t get any sleep and are up all night.”

“I’ll put the charms on the door” she smirked as she disentangled herself from the wizard, grabbed the rumpled sheet and wrapped it around herself, before she searched for her wand on the floor as Harry sighed happily from his bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **AN: I am so sorry for the late post; work has been kicking my ass since the salon opened back up and it has caused me to fall behind on getting the chapters written. I know I say this every week now, but I really am sorry. And I am sorry to say that chapter 28 may also be delayed. I just wanted to let you all know. However, even though I have not responded to the reviews you wonderful people have left last chapter, I have read them all and they made me so happy. I also saw some new readers! Welcome, and thank you for taking an interest in this fic! I look forward to seeing more from you. 28 by the way, will have more Dramione, I promise. Just had to place certain things first to set the next chapter up. As always, XOXO**


	28. Say it Again

_“Wasted time..., I cannot say that I was ready for this, but,_  
_When worlds collide, And all that I have is all that I want,_  
_The words seem to flow and the thoughts, they keep running,_  
_And all that I have is yours;_  
_All that I am is yours.”_

_The Sun and the Moon- Mae_

**Chapter 28- Say It again**

September of 1888

Laying on the most uncomfortable bed he had ever been on in his life, not counting the times he had to sleep on the cold hard ground, Draco stared up at the ceiling as Hermione slept soundly in the crook of his arm. It was a simple moment, which made him ecstatic that she was still comfortable enough to sleep near him, but he couldn’t help feeling perturbed by the idea that she may not love him back. And the longer he thought about the fight they had the night before, the more he realized that she had had multiple chances to say those words too…but she didn’t, and that’s what pained him the most.

In reality, it wasn’t like he had actually thought she would return the sentiment and knew it was a long shot, but the last thing he had expected was for Hermione to argue with him, let alone in front of a bunch of strangers. He felt like a fool for even attempting to tell her his true feelings, however, he felt like an even bigger prat for allowing the witch to sleep on him when he was fully aware he should have kept his distance until they worked everything out. But he loved holding her and wished he could all day, although, he eventually had to remove himself before she awoke.

Sighing heavily, Draco slowly slipped out from beneath the bookworms’ head and sat on the edge of the bed. Rubbing his hands down his face and sighing once more, he slowly began to stand when the sound of a soft voice startled him, nearly causing him to fall forward before he caught himself.

“Why are you up?” he asked after shaking away the shock. “You should still be asleep, it’s early. Go back to bed.”

“What are you doing?” Hermione questioned, ignoring the blondes’ words.

“Nothing…I’m just…Nothing. Go back to bed, darling.”

“You’re trying to sneak out, aren’t you? Why? You don’t have to leave, Draco” she claimed while propping herself up on her left arm.

“I shouldn’t be in here right now. You need to rest” he declared while walking over to the door.

“Where are you going?”

“I don’t know!” he snapped, causing the brunette to curiously gaze at him as he ran his fingers through his hair. “I’m sorry. I-I didn’t mean to raise my voice.”

“No…” she pouted while removing the blanket covering her and getting out of bed. Walking over to the Prince, she stood in front of him with a sympathetic look before she reached out to take his hand, but he quickly pulled away and turn his back to her. “Draco, please talk to me.” However, rather than voice his concerns, he simply remained quiet. “Are you mad at me for throwing up on you? I didn’t mean to, Draco, it was an accident. I-”

“Do you honestly think I care that you got sick on me?” he interrupted as he rotated his body to face her, although, Hermione merely raised a brow while tilting her head perplexed. “Okay, I care a bit that you got sick on me, but that’s the least of my worries right now.”

“So, you’re mad that I yelled at you?”

“No; Gods Hermione, just go back to bed…please” he gently ordered while moving to open the door, but the Golden Girl swiftly placed herself in front of the entryway, preventing the Slytherin from leaving her room. “Please don’t this…Just let me leave” he implored. He no longer had the energy to fight and just wanted to be left alone with his thoughts.

“We need to talk, Draco.” As those dreaded words escaped the petite witch’s lips, Draco sighed heavily because he knew where the conversation was going to end up. Nothing good ever came out of ‘we need to talk’, and it was only a matter of time before his happy little bubble would pop.

“I-I shouldn’t have said it, okay? I know the timing was bad a-and I know I’m still new to all this…Please don’t break up with me because I said it. It was a mistake and I-I’m sorry. Hermione, I’m so sorry-”

“You think telling me that you love me was a mistake?” she inquired in a mixture of shock and sadness.

“If it means I lose you…” he began, licking his lips while once again running his fingers through his tousled hair and turning away from the brunette.

“You can’t just take it back, Draco. You said it and you meant it…It wasn’t a mistake.”

“I can’t do this right now. Can we please talk about this some other time?”

“Draco-”

“I know I messed up, okay?” he defended as he whipped around and threw a hand in the air in frustration. “I know I waited, I know I should have spoken to you sooner at school, and I know that I screwed up, but I can’t change that. I honestly don’t know what more you want from me. I know you don’t feel that same and that’s fine-”

“You’re right” she interrupted softly before shrugging a shoulder and flickering her eyes to the window where the sun was slowly starting to peek through the curtains. “You’re right, Draco,” she repeated as she turned her gaze back to his desperate eyes, “you waited and you should have said something, but you didn’t screw up…I did.”

“I beg your pardon? How did little Miss Perfect screw up?”

“I’m not perfect, Draco. I didn’t tell you how I felt yesterday after your confession, which is tearing you apart inside because I only yelled at you. However, I want to answer you. I’m ready to answer you.” Fearing the worst, the blonde Prince blinked back the tears forming in his ocean grey eyes and threw his head back while interlocking his fingers behind his neck, preparing himself for the words that would end up breaking him.

“I don’t want you to answer if it means-”

“I don’t love you…” she spoke just over a whisper, causing Draco’s’ lips to part as he inhaled a sharp breath, doing his best to not fall apart in front of the witch who had just admitted that she didn’t return his feelings. Licking his bottom lip, he nodded his head while trying and failing to hold back a tear that had somehow managed to slip down his cheek.

“O-okay…” his voice cracked as he looked to the ground and silence engulfed the room. He just wanted to get out of there, run away, find somewhere to hide, and shed the heartache that was drowning him from the inside out. Exhaling sharply, he tried to leave but Hermione once again stopped him. She gripped his wrist that had reached around her and gazed up at the Prince, who avoided looking at her, while she softened her shoulders.

“Draco-”

“I get it, Hermione” he interjected firmly, however, she could hear the sorrow radiating in his voice and she instantly realized that he didn’t understand what she meant.

“Clearly, you don’t. I…I-I don’t love you-”

“Please stop rubbing it in, alright? I understand” he declared while backing away from the Princess and rubbing a hand down his face to hide the fact that he was on the verge of tears.

“You don’t!” she argued with a heavy breath. “Merlin, Draco, stop making me question your intelligence again!” Snapping his attention to the heated bookworm, the blonde furrowed his brows in confusion as Hermione lightly panted in front of the door. “I-don’t-love-you-”

“What?”

“Too” she finished as her chest rose and fell strongly.

“Wh-what?” was all he could say as he was at a loss of words and his heart began to beat rapidly within his chest. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing and was sure he was mistaken; but as his Gryffindor began to lightly smile, he knew then that he had heard her correctly. “Say it again…”

“I don’t-”

“No! Say it again…without the ‘don’t’,” he demanded, never taking his eyes off her.

“I love you…too” she stated, making his soul melt as his own breath grew heavy.

“Say it again…” he muttered in shock.

“I…love…you. I love you, Draco Malfoy. I love you.”

Closing the distance between them as fast as he could, Draco pinned the brunette against the door, his hands resting on the wood to the side of her head as he gazed down at her.

“Again…”

“I love y-” she began to recite but he hastily cut her off and pressed his lips hard against hers, forcing a small yelp to escape her throat, but he didn’t care. All he cared about in that moment was the fact that she felt exactly the same way he did, and he was completely overjoyed.

“Say it again” he breathed out while moving his lips across her jawline and down her neck as she wrapped an arm around his waist and with her free hand, entangled her fingers in the strands of his blonde hair. “Say…it…again” he gently ordered as his own fingers softly caressed her delicate skin and he continued to lean against the wooden barrier with his left hand.

“I love you” she whispered into his ear, causing a small growl to vibrate off her neck as Draco pressed harder against her. And as their passionate moment grew, Hermione tilted her head back and closed her eyes as Draco left desperate kisses across every inch of her exposed skin. “I need you, Draco” she uttered through her soft moans before turning her face to his, cupping his cheeks with both hands and reconnecting their lips. But despite the admission and the fact that he needed her as well, the blonde Slytherin pulled back a bit with swollen lips and stared in confusion at the witch in front of him. “What? What’s wrong? Don’t you want to have sex with me?”

“No…” he confessed rather quickly, making Hermione’s eyes widen slightly.

“Oh…Uh…O-okay…” she stammered, taken aback.

“No, Princess…I don’t want to just have sex with you” he claimed while rubbing his thumb across her smooth cheek. “I want to worship you.”

“I…What?” she raised a brow as he tenderly flicked his eyes down her body before raising his sight back to hers.

“I want to worship your body, love, like you deserve to be worshiped…like the queen you are.”

“Don’t call me queen…I’m far too great” she smirked with a wink.

“Like the goddess you are” he corrected as a smile grew across his face. “Then I’ll make love to you, cherish you, treat you like should be treated…then, and only then, will I fuck you like you deserved to be fucked. Do I make myself clear?” Nodding her head, because she couldn’t find the words to answer her wizard, Hermione watched as Draco reached behind him and accio’d his wand from the floor where it had apparently fallen while he’d slept.

“Draco…? What are you doing?” she questioned as she looked to the Hawthorn wood in his left hand, but he refused to say a word and instead transfigured her nightgown into something a bit more pleasing. “What…Draco!” she inhaled as her breathing became slightly restricted. “What…the hell? Is-is this the same dress from Jamestown? Why…” she swallowed while trying to take in a deep breath, but her ribs could hardly move against the Stay tightened around her torso. “Draco, I can’t…I can’t breathe in this…thing.” Smirking with a light scoff, Draco slightly loosened the ties binding her, causing a loud gasp to release from his Princess’s throat as she exhaled deeply.

“Better?” he queried with an amused chuckle.

“Why did you put me back in this dress?”

“I have a thing for corsets” he asserted while looking her up and down, admiring her body in the tight garment while his dick began to press firmly against his trousers. “I’ve wanted to help you out of this dress since the day I saw you in it. I can’t pass up an opportunity to be able to aid you, now could I? That would go against my very helpful nature.”

“You sly prat” she hissed seductively while biting her lower lip, before grabbing his wand out of his hand and quickly transfiguring his clothing into something she knew she couldn’t resist. If he wanted to play dirty, then so could she.

“Did you…Well, well, well, Princess; since when did you have a thing for me in my school uniform? Did you always imagine me taking you every time you saw me without my robes on?”

“Maybe…” she whispered while wrapping his tie around her hand. “It’s mainly the green necktie though…and the white button-down” she shrugged as she once again bit her bottom lip and swiftly pulled at the fabric, forcing the blonde closer to her. “Now, if you don’t mind…I’d like for you to show me what you meant by worshiping my body.”

“Yes, Ma’am…” Draco immediately picked his witch up, carried her to the bed, and gently set her down on the mattress before charming away everything but the black corset and matching knickers. As Hermione giggled lightly, the Slytherin Prince loosened his tie and unfastened the top four buttons of his shirt before climbing on top of the brunette and staring deep into her brown eyes. “I love you, Hermione…” he spoke softly, but still had a small fear that she wouldn’t say it back. Seeing the trepidation in his eyes, she reached up and cupped his cheek, causing him to lean into her gentle touch as her free hand grasped his right bicep.

“I fell in love with you before Salem…”

“Wait, what?” he asked in surprise.

“I-I don’t want to ruin this, but…I can’t keep holding it in anymore…”

“Hermione…what are you talking about?”

“I told you, I was the one who messed up. I knew I loved you that night in the barn, I started falling for you long before that…back in Pompeii…before I even realized it.”

“What?”

“But I was scared to admit it because I didn’t know if I could trust you not to hurt me. I was scared that you only wanted me out of convenience and that as soon as we got home…you would change your mind about me.”

“Hermione…”

“Yet you just kept on protecting me and putting yourself in danger that I thought pushing you away was the only thing I could do to save you. I was confused and…I’m sorry, Draco. I am so sorry for snapping at you yesterday and pushing you away. If I didn’t then-”

“Shhhh, love it-it’s alright. I’m okay…we’re okay. It doesn’t matter how we got here, the point is, is that we’re here. I don’t care about when you started to love me, I care about you and the fact that someone like you…could ever love someone like me. We’ve both messed up and waited but look at where it’s gotten us. It’s made this moment so much better and I…I wouldn’t change it for the world.”

“I love you” she whispered tenderly as he kissed away the tears hovering by her temple.

“I love you more” he grinned before lightly kissing her lips and trailing his fingers down her body, forcing goosebumps to emit from her skin. “But right now, I need to love your body, alright? We have both waited far too long for this and I don’t want to waste another second.”

However, as soon as Draco’s fingers made their way down the brunette’s hip and were about to move her knickers to the side in order to begin pleasuring her, the door to the bedroom burst open, startling the pair as Ginny stood in the frame with wide eyes.

“Well…At least you made it to the bed this time” she claimed while trying to hold back a laugh.

“Why?” the blonde demanded to know after scrambling to cover the witch beneath him with the blanket. “Why is it that every time we have a moment alone it’s fucking ruined by someone? Why?” he complained as Blaise peeked his head around the corner.

“Oh, shite…” he chuckled while nudging the redhead with his hand. “Looks like the train is finally pulling into the station and it’s bigger than nine and three quarters!”

“Choo choo” Ginny laughed while pretending to pull on a lever.

“Get out!” Draco ordered strongly.

“But we-” Blaise began to contend.

“Out! Now!”

“Is that your school uniform?” Ginny chortled. “Why are you-Oooohh.”

“For fuck sakes, get the fuck out!”

“Alright,” Blaise declared with raised hands, although he kept on chuckling. “Guess we’ll go over the killer of this era later. Though we may need to file a police report after you murder Buttercups’-”

“GET OUT!” he bellowed while grabbing his wand off the bed and slamming the doors closed with a flick of his wrist before charming it locked. Setting the Hawthorn down, he exhaled a frustrated breath as Hermione picked up his wand and placed a silencing spell on the wooded barrier.

“Did Blaise just comment on the size of your dick?” she questioned with a raised brow.

“Bloke has never seen my dick. He was just trying to have a laugh. It wasn’t funny” he scoffed while lowering his head into the crook of the Gryffindor’s neck.

“I thought it was pretty funny” she giggled as he raised his head and glared at her. “Creative too” she snickered as her wizard narrowed his eyes at her. “I get to see it though, right?” she grinned while she once again played with his tie.

“Not if you keep laughing at that sorry excuse for a joke.”

“I make no promises.”

“Then I make no promises that you’ll see me naked.”

“Liar” she smirked as she tugged on the Slytherin tie and pulled him flush against her body. “Now fucking worship me.”

“Merlin, I thought you were fucking hot when you curse but gods damn are you sexy when you demand things.”

“Draco…if you don’t-”

“Okay, okay” he grinned with a raised hand. “Where were we before we were so rudely interrupted.

“I’m fairly certain you were about to put your fingers in me” she answered with a seductive smile as she wiggled below him.

“Right…” he uttered softly as he lovingly gazed down at his witch. “Whatever you want, my love. But first…I need you to do something for me.”

“And what, pray tell, would that be?” Without saying a word, he gently lifted her left arm, placed a lingering supple kiss on his witch’s’ palm and sent a beautiful chill down her spine, before he placed a soft peck on the inside of her wrist. “Draco…? Draco, what are you doing?” she inquired slightly panicked as he placed his left hand on the inside of her forearm and quietly muttered ‘Finite’. “Draco, stop; what are you doing?”

“It’s alright, Princess…It’s just me” he stated sweetly. “It’s just me and…and I-I want to be able to love you, Hermione…all of you. No more hiding our scars; not from each other” he claimed while slowly lowering her arm to the bed before leaning back on his heels and removing the concealment charm covering his Dark Mark. “I don’t want us to hide from each other, Princess, I want us to be open. No more waiting. We’ve waited long enough.”

Hermione inhaled sharply as she looked over at the Mark on his forearm before she glanced to her own scar and swallowed hard. She then lifted his wand from the bed and pointed the tip at her throat, removing the concealment and revealing the small cut Bellatrix had left upon her skin. Exhaling a slow breath, Draco leaned back down and delicately kissed the scar before gazing into his witch’s eyes and tenderly smiled. “I love you” he whispered while brushing his thumb across her cheek, “and no matter what happens in the future or the past, whatever…going forward, Hermione…I will always love you.”

Sunday, May 17th, 1999

“Good morning” Pansy whispered as she looked up at Harry while snuggling closer to his naked body.

“Morning” he smiled down at her as his fingers grazed across her shoulder. “Sleep alright?”

“Perfectly,” she grinned happily before placing a lingering kiss on the side of his left peck. “You?”

“Better than I have in a long time. Even if it was only a few hours of rest” he chuckled lightly, however, he turned his gaze to the clock resting upon his nightstand and he quickly shot up, surprising the Slytherin that was in his arms as he grabbed his glasses to get a better look at the time.

“What the hell, Harry?”

“We overslept…”

“What?”

“It’s ten forty-five…We overslept” he repeated while turning his attention to the raven-haired witch clutching the white sheet against her chest, before sputtering out a laugh, which ended up causing the Slytherin Princess to break out into giggles as well. “We should probably get dressed and uh, make a new plan for you to sneak out. I have a strong feeling everyone is already waiting downstairs.”

“Which means, that if I sneak out with your cloak, they’ll notice my door open. And who knows what Luna already told them about where I was all night…”

“Maybe we should just tell everyone before showing them the pictures?” he suggested while laying back down and placing the back of his arm across this forehead.

“I’d rather wait until after; if you don’t mind? I don’t want them to bombard us with questions we both know they’ll ask, before we even get a chance to show them anything” she replied with a small sigh while rolling over to rest her head on her wizard.

“I don’t mind in the slightest. Whatever you want to do, I’ll do.”

Gently roaming her fingers through his chest hair as Harry ran his hand through her soft black locks, the couple stayed in bed for a few more minutes as Pansy thought over some things.

“Are you sure this is what you want to do, Harry? The repercussions of announcing our relationship…people aren’t going to look at you the same. They’ll think you’ve gone mental and may have you committed.” Lifting her chin with the tips of his fingers, Harry gazed into the Slytherin’s eyes and fondly smiled down at her.

“Pansy...” he began while licking his lips, “if this is what you want to do then I’ll do it. I don’t care if people think I’m mental; I’m happy with you and that’s all that matters. But if you’re having second thoughts…?”

“No, I-I just, I don’t want you to regret it in the end” she spoke softly while lowering her head into his chest.

“The only thing I regret, Pans, is not getting to know you sooner. And before you say anything, it was neither of our faults. But we live in a different time now. You heard those girls last night; they admire and respect you, and I think they were even upset when you told them you and I were just friends. In my opinion…I don’t think anyone really cares who dates who anymore.”

“Except when you’re dating one of the Golden Trio. The press is going to have a field day when they figure out you’re dating me and Granger is shagging Draco.”

“Could you maybe not talk about my best friend shagging Malfoy? I’m still trying to get used to them snogging.”

“Alright” she giggled lightly. “But Weasley is going to lose his mind, you know? Draco was more his enemy than yours.”

“I’m sure he’ll be fine, just like he’ll be fine with us.”

“If you say so” she asserted with a roll of her eyes. “Us, I can see him being alright with, but Draco and his ex…”

“Shite…” he stated with widened eyes as he remembered that Hermione and Ron had briefly dated after the war. “Maybe we could not tell him…” he suggested with a small wince.

“Good luck with that” she chuckled. “Anyway, I think we should probably head downstairs. The longer we’re up here the more likely our friends will suspect that we’re doing more than just talking.”

“Let them think whatever they like” he smirked while rolling on top of the witch.

“Harry!” she chortled as she wiggled beneath him.

“Harry…” he playfully mimicked before placing a gentle kiss upon her plush lips. “Come on, love…Let’s go tell our friends and then we can come back up here and release all that pent-up anger we’re sure to obtain after dealing with everyone.”

“You sir, have yourself a deal” she warmly smiled while brushing her fingers through his shaggy hair.

After snogging for a bit longer, the couple decided to unfortunately get up and procure their clothing scattered across the floor. They each then inhaled deep breaths and opened the door to meet four sets of eyes staring up at them.

“Good morning!” Luna chirped as she closed the Ancient Runes book lying on the glass coffee table. “How did studying for the Alchemy exam go, Pans?”

“What?” she queried in confusion.

“Didn’t you get up early to help Harry since he requested your assistance yesterday before dropping you and Luna off in Hogsmeade?” Ron questioned with a sly wink as he crossed his arms and leaned back on the couch next to the Ravenclaw, who was forcing them all to study. “Luna told us that you planned on helping him last night, which is why neither of you came to The Three Broomsticks, but then you mentioned to her when she got back, that you were tired and planned to help in the morning instead.”

“Oh, uh…Yeah-i-it went well. Um…but uh…we um…we-”

“We have to show you guys something” Harry quickly cut in after sensing the bewilderment and stress radiating off his witch. “We uh, found something while I was helping Pansy with Muggle Studies.”

“What did you find, Harry?” Luna beamed, knowing exactly what the pair had ‘found’.

“…Our friends…” he replied rather calmly, although he didn’t feel at ease; mainly because he knew that as soon as his schoolmates saw the pictures, the word ‘calm’ would go right out the window…and his assumption appeared to be correct.

“Are you kidding me?” Neville proclaimed while throwing his hands in the air as he paced back and forth between the ends of the two couches. “First, our friends get thrown through time, then, they almost die who knows how many freaking times, and now ‘Mione is shacking up with Malfoy and Ginny and is all cozy with Zabini! What next, both return home pregnant and married?” he shrieked as everyone blankly stared at him. “Sorry,” he sighed heavily while running his fingers through his hair. “We’ve just been dealing with a lot lately and with exams starting next week…I don’t know how much more I can take right now.”

“Hey, I hear you” Theo chimed in with a wave of his hand as he stood from the couch across from Luna, and now Pansy, as Ron had moved to stand away from everyone, “but it seems overwhelming surprises are always going to follow us everywhere we go. And it’s not like we can do anything about it anyway. It’s their love lives, and they’re stuck in the past. Even if they weren’t, who are we to try and break either couple apart?”

“Theodore is right” the blonde Ravenclaw declared as she stared off at nothing. “Hermione, Draco, Ginny, and Blaise are all adults. We should be happy for them, not upset.”

“Ron?” Harry said with a hint of worry in his tone while looking to his right to see the redhead gazing at the largest picture with a blank expression. “Ron, mate, are you alright? You haven’t said a word yet.”

“I’m fine, it’s fine” he answered as he shook his head, the pitch in his voice rising with every syllable. “It’s fine” his nose scrunched as he lingered on each word.

“Ron…?” Neville’s brows narrowed in confusion as everyone watched the Gryffindor in concern.

“What?” Ron expressed, finally removing his gaze from the tome. “I’m fine. Like Theo and Luna said, there’s nothing we can do about it. And let’s face it…I could never live up to Malfoy. His good looks, his money, his ability to control his temper-”

“HA!” Pansy laughed, causing everyone except Theo to look at her with raised brows. “Sorry” she chuckled, “but Draco can sometimes be worse than Weasley when it comes to a temper.”

“My point is, Parkinson, that Malfoy, for the most part, has his shite together. And why should I even care that my best friend slash ex-girlfriend and my little sister are dating two of Slytherins’ most devious and egotistical liars? Why should it bother me in the slightest that our former enemies are a lot closer than we thought with my family? Why should I care?” his voice cracked as his bottom lip trembled and he quickly turned on his heel and rushed out of the room.

“Merlin’s beard!” Harry exhaled heavily before chasing after the redhead before Neville hastily followed, leaving Theo to look at the girls, sulk his shoulders, and unhurriedly exit the Common Room.

“Ron!” the Gryffindor Hero shouted as he pursued his friend down the long corridors. “Ron, slow down! Wait! Can we talk about this?” he called out, however, Ron refused to slow his pace. “Ron, please just…just…st-” he trailed off as he slowed his stride and a strange taste filled his mouth. "What the…hell…?” he uttered softly.

“Potter?” Theo hollered, troubled at the sight of his Gryffindor mate acting strange as Harry stood in the middle of the hallway. “Harry, is it a vision? Are you having a vision?” he questioned in a panic as he and Neville jogged up to the Boy-Who-Lived, making Ron halt his fast-paced walking and quickly turn around.

“I-I-I don’t know…” he stuttered as he stared down at the floor, perplexed. “I-I don’t see anything.”

“Then what’s wrong?” Neville queried as the taste on Harry’s tongue grew stronger. It was something he didn’t think he was familiar with and it had a slight tang to it that added a small aroma in his nose, but at the same time he felt like it was something he had experienced at least once in his life. However, the longer the taste stayed in his mouth, the more he realized what it actually was.

“No…” the Savior expressed with wide eyes full of fear. “Oh God, no! No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, NOOOO!”

“What the fuck?” Ron mumbled as Harry gripped the ends of his hair and shook his head back and forth. “Harry? What’s going on? What do you see?”

“No, no, no, no, no, no! I-it’s not what I see…” he claimed, his body shaking while he slowly lifted his gaze to his best friends as his eyes slowly began to fog, turning a murky white before fully glazing over.

“Harry?” the redhead worryingly said as he reached out to support the Gryffindor Prince in case he fell due to the vision he was now currently in.

“Is this what happened the last time?” Theo asked while standing to the side of Harry, his hand resting on the raven-haired wizards’ bicep.

While the boys discussed the difference between the various visions the Wizarding Savior had endured over the last few weeks, Harry continued to freak out and unfortunately, couldn’t control the raging hard-on pressed firmly against his trousers. But there was nothing he could do to stop what he was experiencing and regrettably…he had the pleasure to learn how to please a woman from the master himself…on his best friend.

Hermione giggled and squirmed as Draco gently flicked his tongue up and between her folds before he softly blew on her throbbing pearl. The sensation was new and electrifying and tickled a bit, but the fact that the Slytherin was finally willing to take their relationship a step further had her beyond excited, so she did her best to try and stay still through the experience. Draco then delicately inserted two fingers into her center, causing a diminutive moan to escape his Princesses’ lips as he tenderly began to suck on her clit. Harry screamed for him to stop, begged for him to realize someone was sharing his conscious, however, the blonde couldn’t and would never, sense him, and instead continued to pump his fingers in and out of his witch as Hermione draped her left leg over the Malfoy heirs’ shoulder.

The brunette whimpered beneath her wizard and arched her back while she ran her fingers through his hair as he growled lightly at the pleasure of her hands on him. Although he had to withdraw a bit when Hermione began to clamp her legs shut, making it hard for him to breathe as she pressed her left leg firmly against his head, forcing him closer to her.

“Princess…” he snickered as his right hand left a feather-light touch upon her thigh. “You have to release your grip a bit. I can’t satisfy you if I can’t breathe.”

“Oh, I’m sorry” she chuckled while spreading her legs slightly as Harry began to cry in the middle of the hallway.

“It’s alright, love” he replied while gazing up at her, admiring the way the black corset barely contained her luscious breasts peeking out of the top.

“Please stop!” Harry begged, making Theo, Ron, and Neville worry that Draco was about to be hurt again. But as soon as Theo glanced down when Harry had suddenly grabbed his lower region with both hands, he realized that they were all wrong.

“Fuck…me…” he uttered in sheer shock. “We need to get him out of here.”

“Good idea” Neville spoke determinedly while glancing around the corridor for a room that wasn’t in use. “We don’t need students seeing him being tortured. We should probably notify the girls and the Headmistress as well.”

“I-I don’t think Harry is being tortured in the way we think…” the Slytherin claimed, although his gaze never wavered from below Harry’s belt. “And…I-I don’t think this is a vision anyone but us needs to know about…”

“What are you talking about?” Ron questioned with a raised brow; however, Theo said nothing and quickly began to drag the raven-haired wizard down the hallway and into an empty classroom.

“Please…” Harry pleaded, knowing he would never emotionally recover from this specific vision. He could handle the suffering Draco was repeatedly exposed to and he could take the pain from numerous beatings, hell in that moment, he would gladly endure the torture of Salem again, anything…anything except for this. He would happily take the Cruciatus curse right now if it meant the vision would end because he knew that not only would he never be able to look at Hermione the same way again…Pansy would be devastated and quite possibly leave him. “Please stop…” he pressed on while thinking of any way he could pull himself out of the vision before it was too late.

But nothing worked.

Harry remained trapped in Draco Malfoy’s mind and could not only see his closest friends’ private area, but he could still taste her delicious juices, feel her soft supple skin…hear her delicate moans as the blonde Prince removed his fingers and drove his tongue deep into Hermione’s core. The bookworm gasped for breath as her senses shot into overdrive and an enjoyable shiver raced down her spine while her longtime friend unwillingly studied the tender way in which Draco was savoring the delectable pink cunt in front of him.

Gripping the bedsheets with one hand as the other tangled deep into Draco’s hair, the wavy-haired witch intensely cried out in bliss as her pelvis pressed hard into the mattress. But Draco didn’t stop as both he and Harry’s dicks twitched, and Hermione came completely undone.

Smirking proudly while licking the wetness from her sensitive slits, Draco pulled back and sat on his heels as he sucked the clear fluid of his fingers and the Golden Girl below him panted heavily. Despite the fact that Hermione was coming down from cloud nine and just had the best orgasm of her life, she was still extremely aroused and needed more…Unfortunately for Harry, and his friends surrounding him, Hermione Granger needed much more than any of them were aware.

Draco didn’t even have a chance to react as Hermione suddenly grabbed his untightened tie, pulled him down to the left of her, climbed on top of him, and zealously kissed him. It wasn’t long after that that she undid the buttons of his white shirt, exposing his Seeker body, and examined his muscles as the green Slytherin tie rested on top of his defined six-pack. Exhilaration and eagerness filled the couple as she bit her lower lip and gently ran her fingers down his stomach until she reached the top button of his trousers. Slowly unzipping the slacks and unclasping the button preventing her from getting to her Prince, Hermione slid back some as she pulled the trousers and white boxers down Draco’s legs.

Lifting his hips to help her, the blonde exhaled a nervous breath and swallowed hard as his cock was released from the fabric restricting it. Nevertheless, he quickly relaxed as a smile formed on his witch’s lips and she placed a lingering kiss upon the top of his left thigh.

“Have you done this before?” he queried through the strained groan settled in his base vocal cords while he rested on his elbows as Hermione trailed her lips up and around his hardened length, over his hips, and across his waistline, before she reached his other leg and she shook her head ‘no’. “Do-do you want me to walk yo-” he began but let out a loud hiss as her tongue touched the nape of his stiff member and Harry felt a deep growl escape his throat.

“What the hell?” Ron expressed in a mixture of bewilderment and surprise.

“Ron…” Theo cleared his throat while crossing his arms as Harry tightly gripped the edge of the wooden desk at the front of the room; his lower back was pressed firmly against the table as his friends stood in front of him concerned. But as Harry began to sweat profusely, Theo pointed to below the Gryffindor’s waist with his eyes, causing both Neville and Ron to raise a brow before glancing downward.

“Whaaaat the fuuuuuck?”

“Is that a boner?” Neville asked with widened eyes.

“Very good, Longbottom,” Theo sarcastically stated with a roll of his eyes, “you can identify an aroused dick.”

“Why the fuck does he have a bone-ohhhhh” he began to question when the sudden realization dawned on him. “Oh, shite…! Well, I-I mean…maybe it’s not with Hermione” Neville panicked while tangling his fingers in his hair.

“And maybe the bloke is just masturbating or fucking some slag in 1888!” Ron snapped while diverting his attention elsewhere. “It doesn’t matter who or how it’s happening, the point is, is that Harry is practically sharing a dick with Draco fucking Malfoy! This-this is wrong on SO many levels!”

However, a loud moan reverberated the empty classroom, forcing the boys to glance at Harry, who was crying, his white knuckles grasping the desk harder, while he arched his back as Hermione’s mouth enveloped around the Slytherin’s cock. Draco closed his eyes and threw his head back as the bookworm bobbed up and down but quickly looked down at the witch and watched as she pleasured him unlike any other. He reveled in the way her tongue felt against his skin, the warmth of her wet mouth and the tender way she sucked him like he was a dripping popsicle while her fingers of her right hand gently cupped his balls as her free hand roved over his stomach. For someone who had no idea what they were doing, Hermione sure as hell knew his weakness and took full advantage of every growl and moan the Slytherin made, allowing her to know what pleased him the most.

As her saliva dripped down the sides of his groin and trickled down the wizards’ scrotum, Draco’s body quivered when the feeling of pure euphoria filled his lungs and Hermione continued to take him deeper…over and over again. It was a sensation he had dreamed about for a long time and the idea that Gryffindors’ Princess was gifting him the most enjoyable and satisfying oral sex he had ever had, made the experience that much better.

Doing his best to not shock his girlfriend by plowing into her, deepthroating her until she couldn’t take it anymore, Draco released a heavy growl as he reached his pinnacle. Without warning, not out of disrespect for the gorgeous witch perfectly sucking his cock, but more due to the fact that he couldn’t speak, he climaxed as his body went rigid, intensely spilling his seed into Hermione’s mouth and briefly causing her to choke a bit. Although the feeling of her lips tightening around him as she lightly coughed, forced a thrilling whimper through his labored breathing as his body slightly twitched in delight.

Swallowing the immense load, that honestly didn’t taste as bad as she thought it would, Hermione gently removed her lips from the blonde and proudly smiled up at him. His shirt was still open, allowing her to take in the view of her wizards’ sculpted abs, but his tie was no longer resting on his stomach. Instead it now laid off his left shoulder as he breathed heavily and Harry…looked down at the wet patch covering the front of his trousers.

It only took a second this time for him to pull out of the vision after both he and Draco came at the same time but it felt like a lifetime before he was able to find his voice and glance up at the three men staring wide-eyed at him.

“Are-are you okay?” Neville inquired, although they all knew physically, he was absolutely fine, but mentally…that was a whole ‘nother story.

“Don’t ask stupid questions!” Theo voiced with furrowed brows. “Of course, he’s not alright!”

"I don't want to talk about it..." Harry quickly answered while staring unseeingly in front of him, his grip barely loosening from the edge of the desk.

“Are you bloody kidding me? We have to talk about this!” the Slytherin countered almost too excitingly. “That was the most wicked thing I think any of us have ever had the pleasure to witness in our lives!”

"It's...it's too soon...I-I don't wanna talk about it. This...this NEVER happened..."

“Never happened? You fucked your best friend and you didn’t even have to pull your dick out! That was fucking intense!”

“WHAT?” a thunderous voice shouted, startling the four boys so much that Harrys’ hand slipped off the desk as Neville backed up in fear and fell over the bench behind him.

“Shite…” Theo whispered as he looked to the classrooms’ entryway to see Pansy Parkinson and Luna Lovegood standing in the doorway. Pansy was clearly angry, her body shaking as she tried to contain her rage, while Luna’s gaze flicked back and forth between her Slytherin roommate and Harry Potter. “Gods dammit, Ron, why didn’t you put a locking charm up?”

“Me? Since when was it my bloody responsibility to lock the damn door?”

“Since I was the one carrying Harry into the freaking room!”

“Neville could have easily done it! And I was a bit preoccupied worrying about my mate!”

“WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON IN HERE?” the raven-haired witch screamed in fury.

“Pansy…! It’s-it’s not what you think! He didn’t cheat on you, I swear!”

“Wait what?” Harry expelled and he looked to Theo in confusion. “You knew?” He turned his attention back to Pansy. “You told him! You told him before we even decided to say anything?”

“No! I-I didn’t say anything to him. The only person besides Luna that knew, was Ron” she defended as everyone looked to the redhead.

“Whoa! Don’t throw me under the broom just because I figured it out! It was plainly obvious something was going on between you two!”

“I sort of figured it out myself as well” Theo stated with a raised finger before everyone glanced to Neville, who had righted himself and tried his best to appear small.

“I-I saw them snogging in the corridors of Malfoy Manor before we left…” he muttered anxiously.

“I knew it!” the Slytherin wizard replied with a broad smile and snapped his fingers. “I knew there was a reason you were acting so odd!”

“So, wait…you all knew that Pansy and I were dating?” Harry asked, still perplexed at the current set of events happening around him.

“For while actually…” Ron said with a shrug of his shoulders. “You’re not particularly good at keeping secrets from me, Harry, and it was only a matter of time before Theo found out. I sort of realized it after Neville went all barmy back at the Manor and I asked if he saw you two snogging…Both of your reactions confirmed what I already suspected would happen.”

“Okay, so you all found out before we had a chance to tell you,” Pansy proclaimed as her indignation began to resurface, “can we please get back to the topic at hand? The one where you were apparently fucked your best friend!”

“I didn’t fuck her!” he retorted immediately.

“You didn’t fuck her?” she scoffed.

“No! It-it was just a blow job!”

“Sorry, what?” She shook her head in shock, dazed but the careless confession. “When the fuck did Granger suck you off?”

“Just now” he quickly answered without thinking, however, the admittance had helped him a bit as apparently Pansy thought he had lied about his platonic relationship with Hermione. Before they even started dating, Pansy had had a nagging feeling in her gut that the two friends had possibly been more than they let on, but since opening up, she had noticed that Harry wasn’t afraid to tell her anything, no matter how terrified he might be. He never kept a secret from her and this one was no different. He didn’t shy away from telling her the truth however, he did seem overly terrified of her reaction. “I-it wasn’t me, Pans, I swear. It was a vision. I couldn’t control it. I didn’t want to…to…to experience that.”

“So…you didn’t enjoy it?” she inquired.

“I…” he trailed off as he tried to think of the right words to say, but nothing would soften the blow he was about to deliver. “I-I didn’t have a choice. You have to believe me, Pansy, I didn’t have a choice. I didn’t want to! She’s my best friend…the last thing in the world that I would ever want to do is…Please believe me…Please…” he begged.

“I believe you…” she stated, causing everyone in the room to gaze at her with a tilt of their heads.

“Y-you do?”

“Of course…” she claimed with a faux smile resting upon her lips. “Harry…I need you to come with me” she stated in all seriousness.

“What? Why?”

“Harry…! Do not…argue with me.”

“I-I’m not! I’m just…I’m confused.”

“And you confuse easily, now come with me. We need to…talk” she declared while storming across the room, grabbing his hand, and dragging him out the door; all the while glaring at Ron, Theo, and Neville as she passed by them.

“Where are we going?” he inquired, but Pansy simply ignored him. “Pansy? Where are we going?”

“Can you stop asking questions all the damn time?” she requested, her voice sharp and clear.

“No!” he yelled while removing his grip as the pair stood in the middle of the empty hallway. “I’m allowed to ask questions if I want! It doesn’t matter if we’re together or not, I just went through the most horrible thing I could think of and now you want to pull me out of a room to somewhere unknown without even telling me! I’m not moving a muscle until you tell me what the fuck we’re doing!”

“Are you fucking kidding me right now?”

“What?”

“Are you serious? You just orgasmed to a blow job from Hermione fucking Granger! There is no bloody way I am allowing you to think of that when you climax! Do you understand me?”

“What do you plan to do?” he asked, his nerves shooting into overdrive as the idea of what his girlfriend wanted to do encased his mind.

“What do I plan to do? I plan on making sure that your freaking know-it-all mate is that last thing you think of when it comes to blow jobs! Now get in!” she declared while pointing to an empty broom closet not far from the classroom they had just left. Harry reluctantly stepped into the cupboard that barely fit two people and looked around at all the dust and debris which filled the room. “Take off your pants” she ordered firmly after placing the necessary charms on the door.

“Pansy, love, we-we don’t have to-”

“Are you going to argue with me or are you going to take off your pants like the good boyfriend you are? You just involuntarily had your dick sucked by Granger. I’m not allowing you to leave this closet until your last sexual encounter is voluntary and by me!”

“Are-are you jealous?” he asked with a small smirk.

“Do you honestly want to go there right now? Seriously, Harry?” she spat after flicking her wand, allowing light to enter the small space. “Of course, I’m jealous! Okay, I get that you didn’t have a choice and I understand that it was a vision, but you’re my boyfriend…mine! And the last thing I want you to think about when receiving any sort of oral activity, is her…I-I want you to think of me.”

“Pansy…” he stated somberly. “I only want you. I will only think of you. You don’t have to do whatever it is you want to right now. You know I’m yours.”

“Pull…down…your pants, Harry” she demanded.

“Okay…” he declared with a heavy sigh, but knew that no matter how much that vision affected his mental health, he only had eyes for one woman…and she was standing right in front of him, eager to please him in the only way she knew how.

Unfastening the belt around his waist, Harry unbuttoned his trousers and pulled them down, revealing his softened dick. He felt awkward standing in the broom closet, but that didn’t deter him from admiring the way his witch was staring at him or how she had removed the camisole she had worn last night. Tossing the garment to the floor, Pansy knelt down on her knees and looked up at her Prince with aroused eyes.

“Harry…I-I want you to take control.”

“And by that you mean…?”

“Take your frustrations out on me. You’ve been through hell and back, accidentally, and unwillingly received oral from your best friend, and randomly share a conscious with Draco…You have to be feeling overwhelmed. I want you to think about everything and…fuck my mouth. I can handle it.”

“Pans…I-I’m not built like that. I don’t vent my anger and stress out on people. At least not…not like how you want me to.”

“And how exactly has that worked out for you?”

“For the most part…it’s been fine” he answered with a small gulp as he stared down at the Slytherins’ perfectly peaked mounds.

“Fine is not good enough…” she claimed as her bare chest rose and fell with her steady breathes, causing Harry’s dick to grow hard as he thought about what he wanted to do to her.

“I’m not Malfoy…” he whispered as she reached up and gently gripped his cock in her hand.

“I don’t want you to be. Harry, I want you to be you…and I want you to use me.”

“I-I don’t know how…”

“You’ll figure it out on your own…all you have to do is start” she declared before placing her soft lips on the tip of his member and kissed the head ever so delicately, forcing a moan to fill the room as Harry closed his eyes. Grabbing his hands, Pansy placed them on the back of her head and carefully rested her own hands on the Gryffindor’s bare thighs. “Take control…It’s your life, Harry…all you have to do is concede and I’m yours. You won’t hurt me if that’s what you’re worried about.” Entangling his fingers through her soft locks, Harry strongly thought about her proposition before reaching down and helping the witch to her feet. “What are you doing?”

“Taking control” he started before bending her over a stack of wooden boxes in the corner, pulled out his wand, and charmed away her skinny jeans, leaving her in just her white lacy knickers. Leaning over her, he moved her hair out of her face before whispering in her ear. “Nod your head if you want this…” nodding her head ‘yes’, Harry left a supple kiss upon her neck before running his hand down her ribs, causing a tingle to reverberate down her spine. “I won’t hurt you and if I do, you tell me right away. Other than that, you stay silent, do you understand me?”

“Y-yes…” she uttered as her hands laid on either side of her head.

Reaching down, the Gryffindor Prince gripped his cock in his hand and pumped a few times before kneeling down, pushing her knickers out of the way, and licking the raven-haired witch between her slits, something he had unfortunately learned from Draco freaking Malfoy. Although, he had to thank the Malfoy heir as he had taught him a few things he was in desperate need of learning. Caressing her flawless arse, he stood up and quickly inserted his middle finger into her center, getting her wet and making her pleasantly moan. Inserting a second finger, once he felt like she was wet enough, Harry pumped in and out of her as Pansy gripped the boxes she was laying on, her breasts pressed firmly against the wooden crates.

Feeling for the most sensitive area inside her, he flipped his hand so his thumb could tease her plump pearl, sending her over the edge, and causing her to squirt her juices all over him as she cried out his name. Realizing he loved the taste of her over Hermione as he licked his fingers the same way Draco had done after making the Golden Girl climax, Harry stood up and without preparing Pansy, or allowing her to come down from her high, he quickly pressed his stiff member into her core, forcing a desirable moan to escape her lips.

It was an experience unlike anything she had ever felt before and she reveled in the forcefulness Harry was displaying. He had come so far from the shy yet arrogant Gryffindor she had known him to be and couldn’t help herself as she softly moaned out his name again as he pressed hard into her. Without saying a word, the Boy-Who-Lived, gently pulled out a bit before driving hard back into her, determined to vent all his frustrations out on her pussy. And the longer he stayed inside of her the more he wanted her. Grasping her hips firmly, he began to up his pace pounding in and out like he was desperate to reach something, something that made him feel like him again. Fortunately, Pansy knew exactly what that need was and began to talk dirty to him, despite his orders to stay quiet.

“Keep talking…” he requested as he lifted the bottom of his shirt up so he could see the way he made her his. He loved watching as his dick hammered into her, but what he loved more, was her willingness to please him, make him feel needed…make him feel wanted. Pansy Parkinson seemed to know exactly what he desired to feel in control. She was the best thing to happen to him in a long time and whatever she wanted…he would give her, even if that meant being rough when it went against everything he believed in.

Although, he couldn’t deny that the current event gave him a thrill he never thought he would receive in his life. The feeling electrified his senses and aroused him further, causing him to pound harder and faster into his witch until the sensation ignited a spark in his soul and he loudly spilled his seed deep into her core. Panting heavily, Harry briefly laid his head down on Pansy’s’ back as she herself tried to catch her breath and smiled happily.

“Are you okay?” she breathed out while closing her eyes, enjoying the moment.

“Do you even have to ask?” he queried while pulling out of her, allowing her to right herself and turn around. “God, you’re amazing…” he declared while gazing affectionately at her face, avoiding his sight from lowing to her plump breasts because he wanted her to know that what he felt, had nothing to do with the sex they just had.

Thrown off guard and completely speechless, Pansy hastily gripped Harry’s cheeks and pulled him into a searing kiss before wrapping her arms around his neck as he lowered them both to the hard ground.

September of 1888

“Draco…” Hermione muttered as he climbed on top of her, exhilarated that his dreams were finally becoming reality.

“Yes, love…” he whispered as he leaned in and kissed her neck.

“When…when we get home…”

“I’m going to stop you right there” he proclaimed as he pulled back some and brushed her light curls away from her face. “I’m not going anywhere, Princess…I’m yours, forever. No matter where we may be, you are my home.”

“That’s what I wanted to ask you…”

“What’s that, my love?”

“Home…” she stated in a single breath as she gazed up into his ocean-grey eyes. “I-I don’t know what’s going to happen in this era or the next two…but what I do know, is that I-I can’t sleep without you. Once we get home, our lives are never going to be the same, but knowing that I get to sleep next to you every night…”

“You want to live together…” he questioned, though more as a statement.

“It-it doesn’t have to be right away, I just…I drew up a plan for a house I wanted to build once school was over and-”

“Yes…” he answered before she had a chance to finish her sentence. “Whatever you want, Princess, I’ll do it” he claimed as he searched her elated eyes. “I don’t care if we live in a shack, although I have enough money to buy you multiple mansions…I would gladly live with you.”

“Really?” she beamed, but he could tell she was only asking to make sure she heard him correctly.

“Really, love…” he confirmed with a tender smirk. “I love you, Hermione, and I wasn’t really planning on letting you go once we returned home. I don’t care if I have to hex the shite out of Weaselbee to keep you; I’m never giving you up.”

“Promise…” she whispered as her fingers grazed his pale skin.

“I promise, my love. As long as you always remember…I don’t love you, and I always will.”

“That makes no sense, but…I’ll take it” she smiled as he leaned down and devotedly kissed her. He was hers and she was his…and he wouldn’t have had it any other way. “Draco…?” she uttered through the affectionate hold he had on her.

“Yes, dear.” Placing his forehead against hers, he sighed restlessly as he awaited her next question.

“You said you would make love to me now…” she stated, making him chuckle as that was the last thing he had expected her to say.

“You’re right, love…”

“Soo…” she grinned while biting her lower lip and spreading her thighs before wrapping her legs around his waist.

“That’s not how this is going to go” he smirked, causing her to tilt her head in puzzlement before he reached for her right leg and removed it from his waist before he rested her ankle on his left shoulder. “I want you to experience it all, Princess” he whispered while leaning down and pecking her lips with his. “I want you to feel every inch of me inside you. I want to hear you moan my name over and over again as we climax together” he spoke softly before once again pecking her lips. “I want to feel your body shudder below me as I drive into you…I want you to know how much I love you.”

Placing his hardened dick at her wet entrance, Hermione inhaled a sharp breath as she realized exactly how much she loved the man on top of her. She was pissed at herself for not expressing her feelings sooner but in that moment…everything made sense. Their relationship was nothing like her friends, and with their history, trust was important. If they didn’t build on that first, their first time together wouldn’t be as meaningful as it was now. She loved him, more than words could say and she trusted him…with all her heart.

As their eyes connected and spoke the silent words they both needed to hear, Draco slowly entered his witch, causing a growl to emit from his throat while Hermione moaned into his mouth as she pulled him close and kissed him. Breathing heavily as a nervous feeling began to engulf him out of nowhere, Draco gulped slightly as he stared down at the Gryffindor under him. He had waited for this very moment for a while and it wasn’t until Hermione gazed up at him, that he realized why he was so anxious.

It was the first time in his entire life, that he was making actual love to a woman and not just fucking her because he was horny. He had no idea what the hell he was doing, however, he wasn’t about to let her know that. Thinking about the way he would have normally plowed into her, he took that thought, and slowed it down. Steadying himself as his arms shook, he inhaled a deep breath as she tightened, fitting around him perfectly as if she were the missing puzzle piece he had lost years ago. She felt so warm and inviting and he struggled to control himself from bursting too soon as she wiggled a bit beneath him.

After getting himself under control as Hermione caressed the side of his face, Draco pulled out slightly before slowly pushing himself back in, filling her again as they held each other’s gazes. She was the one…She was the one he wanted to spend the rest of his life with, the one he wanted to have a family with, grow old with, share a thousand memories with. Hermione Granger was the love of his life and he was hers. He knew he was. The way she stared into his iris’s as if he were the only man in the world, left him speechless and he couldn’t get enough.

Never did he think he would find someone like her and yet there she was, under him, enjoying the pleasurable steady thrusts he was providing her. She had always been there, and he never once thought to look up and treat her the way she had deserved to be treated all those years ago. But no longer…No longer was he going to mistreat her, no longer was he going to doubt her or mindlessly fight with her…no longer was he going to fear she would leave him. He loved her with everything he had, and he was going to protect what was his…at all cost. Little did he know, that in the end, his love for the Gryffindor Princess…would eventually cost him everything.


	29. AN

**IMPORTANT AN-** So unfortunately work has become too much. I hate doing this to you guys because I know how much you love this story, but I have to delay chapter 29. I am going to set up a new posting schedule that will hopefully get me back on track and give me the much-needed time to write out each chapter. I’ve become stressed between being the only grooming salon allowed to be open in basically a ten mile radius, which means I am taking way more dogs than normal, trying to write this story, and still find time to sleep and do the things I used to love to do. My mental capacity right now is shot.   
I know I have received new readers and I love all the reviews you all have posted, which keeps me going, but I need to extend the time period I originally gave myself as it’s too short. Posting will now be every 1.5-2 weeks instead of every week. Those few extra days will greatly help me, and I hope you guys still continue to follow and read this fic. I am hoping, key word being hoping, to finish this story by mid-summer, if not the end of summer.   
**Now, because so many of you have asked:**  
I honestly did not anticipate scaring everyone with that last line in 28, so for that, I apologize. I can’t tell you what it means, but what I can say is that there is a deep meaning behind it and the answers you are seeking will come in the last era since that is technically the end. I can’t tell you much more than that.  
Once things begin to slow down at work, I should be able to catch back up and go back to posting once a week. I honestly didn’t plan for this story to be so detailed, which has made it longer, and you guys shouldn’t have to suffer because I’m struggling to balance so many things at once. I still promise though, I will not, nor will I ever, abandon a story. It’s not in my blood to back down from a challenge, although I do need a small break so the story doesn’t lack.   
Thank you all for your patience and just like last time, I will take this note down the day before 29 is posted. I am 100% going to make sure however, that it will be up for you at the latest next Sunday! And again, I am so sorry. Please stay safe out there!


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